There is clearly no love lost between these two heavyweights ahead of what is a fascinating repeat of last year's All-Ireland final.

Mayo manager James Horan turned up the heat earlier this week when he questioned why his Donegal counterpart Jim McGuinness should be complaining about other teams trying to "rough up" the All-Ireland champions.

It's not the first time that Mayo have directed criticism at Donegal - Aidan O'Shea accused them of being the more cynical team after the All-Ireland final - and it's unlikely to be the last.

Mayo return to Croke Park as three-in-a-row Connacht champions for the first time since the early 1950s, but they still have an awful lot to prove after winning what can only be described as the most sub-standard provincial championship seen in many years. They haven't been tested in the slightest, and this could count against them when they come up against battle-hardened opponents like Donegal.

As expected, the Tir Chonaill men bounced back from the shock of losing their Ulster title to Monaghan by doing the needful against Laois last Saturday evening in Carrick-on-Shannon. They are back where they want to be and will relish being underdogs against a team they beat rather convincingly last September.

One would imagine that Mayo have improved since then, particularly in defence. But whether they have the markers capable of stopping Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy from wreaking havoc again remains to be seen.

This is the hardest of the four quarter-finals to call. However, if Donegal have to plan without a fully fit Karl Lacey and Mark McHugh again, Mayo will know they will never get a better chance to beat them.

Verdict: Mayo

Mayo: R Hennelly; T Cunniffe, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; L Keegan, D Vaughan, C Boyle; A O'Shea, S O'Shea; K McLoughlin, R Feeney, A Dillon; C O'Connor, A Freeman, A Moran.

Donegal: P Durcan; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; F McGlynn, K Lacey, A Thompson; N Gallagher, R Kavanagh; R Bradley, R McHugh, David Walsh; P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden.

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan)

Odds: Mayo 4/6, Draw 15/2, Donegal 6/4

Match Details: Croke Park; 4pm; Sunday, August 4 Tweet

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