John Haughey
BBC Sport NI

So this All-Ireland Football Semi-Final is finally upon us after we genuinely wondered whether this game would even take place.

The big question going into today's contest is how debilitated the Tyrone squad will be - if indeed at all - by the Covid outbreak which by all accounts affected almost 20 players.

It's a hot day in Croke Park and if the energy levels aren't there against David Clifford and Co, it could be a chastening 70 minutes for the Red Hands.

Things were looking good for Tyrone following their Ulster final victory over Monaghan, but then on 14 August, joint-manager Feargal Logan revealed that there had been over 20 positive Covid cases within the squad and wider staff.

The GAA initially granted Tyrone's request to push back the semi-final six days until 21 August, and that was then delayed further until today.

"We're hoping most players will be available to us," joint-manager Brian Dooher said earlier in the week.

"Obviously, there a few people here and there who have knocks but we're hoping we'll have a full panel or near abouts to select from."

"It has been a challenging month. I have been about a lot of football for a long number of years but this has been a really testing time," added Logan.

Now, there is a slight elephant in the room for Tyrone - Kerry's six-goal thumping of the Red Hands in the league earlier in June.

Former Kerry captain Darran O'Sullivan believes today's match will be nothing like the Kingdom's 6-15 to 1-14 victory earlier in the summer.

After that defeat, Tyrone joint-manager Brian Dooher said his players had to "put some respect" back on the jersey, and an All-Ireland final date next month would certainly achieve that.

Image source, Inpho

We had to wait, and then wait some more, but it's finally time for Tyrone's shot at reaching the All-Ireland final.

Mayo's heroics against Dublin have blown the competition wide open, however Kerry are a formidable force and the Red Hands know they will be up against it at Croke Park.

You can throw in Kerry's six goals against Tyrone in June, and the Ulster champions' Covid-19 outbreak which has not only pushed the semi-final back by two weeks, but severely hampered their preparations.

It promises to be an intriguing encounter and you can follow all the action live here! Thanks for joining us.

Image source, Inpho