One of Irish sport's epic rivalries turns a new chapter tomorrow as Dublin take on Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC final.

Huge excitement has been building for this one, and understandably so, as the two top teams in the land gear up to collide on football's biggest stage at Croke Park, where the champions Kerry enter as slight underdogs.

Dublin have recently come through back-to-back battles with a hell-bent Mayo outfit to get here, and many feel that those games could stand to the Leinster champions as they prepare to take on Eamonn Fitzmaurice's star-studded side. To further illustrate the latter, Kieran Donaghy and Marc O Se, whom have nine Celtic Crosses between them, have been named to start on bench tomorrow.

The general consensus is that the Kingdom are the slightly superior than the Dubs from one to 15, despite no member of the O Se family in their starting line-up for a final for the first time 43 years, but how Jim Gavin's side would love to dispute that theory.

Some might argue, but there has been plenty of evidence in the past to indicate that Dublin's key men like Rory O'Carroll, Cian O'Sullivan, Diarmuid Connolly and Bernard Brogan are the best at what they're good at. By the way, any of those four would be a decent shout for a 'Man of the Match' prediction before throw in, provided, of course, that O'Sullivan's fully fit for the 70 minutes.

Likewise, Kerry have so many match winners all over the field for them. Anthony Maher and David Moran have proved a sensation midfield combo for the Munster champions and they'll be working like demons come the throw-in Sunday to feed prolific devastators like Colm Cooper and James O'Donoghue inside.

Finals often see a non-superstar come in under the radar and emerge to make the difference in sending Sam Maguire back to their county. So, if that's the case, who will it be on Sunday?

Expect goals and performances off the bench tell a huge tale down the final stretch of this decider, as the two of the top tacticians in the game go head-to-head for the second time, with Fitzmaurice looking to outwit Brian Gavin and claim his first scalp over the Dubs' boss.

The last time these two powerhouses met they produced an epic in the All-Ireland semi-final of 2013, which the capital men edged before seeing off Mayo in the final.

Let's hope this one lives up to its billing and we get another thriller at HQ.

Verdict - Dublin

Kerry team: Brendan Kealy; Fionn Fitzgerald, Aidan O'Mahony, Shane Enright; Jonathan Lyne, Peter Crowley, Killian Young; Anthony Maher, David Moran; Stephen O'Brien, Johnny Buckley, Donnchadh Walsh; Colm Cooper, Paul Geaney, James O'Donoghue.

Dublin team: Stephen Cluxton; Jonny Cooper, Rory O'Carroll, Philly McMahon; James McCarthy, Cian O'Sullivan, Jack McCaffrey; Brian Fenton, Denis Bastick; Paul Flynn, Diarmuid Connolly, Ciaran Kilkenny; Paddy Andrews, Dean Rock, Bernard Brogan.

Match details: Sunday; Croke Park; 3.30pm

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)

Odds: Dublin 10/11; Draw 15/2; Kerry 6/5 (Ladbrokes)

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