Who would have believed it? It's only the first week in July, but both Kilkenny and Tipperary are out of their respective provincial championships and fighting for their lives.

A repeat of the Allianz League final which was also played in Nowlan Park, this is, without doubt, the biggest game in the history of the hurling qualifiers, something which is reflected in the fact that all 24,000 tickets were snapped up in record time.

As much as the All-Ireland champions' Leinster SHC replay defeat to Dublin was a shock, the warning signs had been there in the drawn game and against Offaly when they conceded four goals. The loss of Henry Shefflin, Michael Fennelly and Paul Murphy is being sorely felt, and it will be interesting to see if Brian Cody throws caution to the wind and plays a 'half-fit' Shefflin. He famously did it before against Tipp in the 2010 All-Ireland final when the gamble failed to pay off.

Like Kilkenny, Tipp have been left reeling by their surprise Munster SHC semi-final exit at the hands of Limerick. Crucially, though, they've had more time to recover than Kilkenny who are facing yet another seven-day turnaround.

Tipp owe it to their supporters to give a much better performance than they did at the Gaelic Grounds a few weeks ago. They didn't have the stomach for battle on that occasion, but all will be forgiven if they can oust their biggest rivals this evening.

As tempting as it is to write off Kilkenny, they haven't become a bad team overnight and the prospect of losing to Tipp in front of their own supporters should be enough motivation to see them survive what promises to be a fascinating contest.

Verdict:Kilkenny

Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Conor Fogarty, JJ Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell; Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Kieran Joyce; Michael Rice, Lester Ryan; Walter Walsh, Richie Power, Eoin Larkin; Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan, Aidan Fogarty.

Tipperary: Brendan Cummins; Paddy Stapleton, Paul Curran, Mickey Cahill; Conor O'Brien, Conor O'Mahony, Paudie Maher; Brendan Maher, Shane McGrath; Patrick Maher, Noel McGrath, John O'Brien; John O'Dwyer, Eoin Kelly, Lar Corbett.

Referee: Brian Gavin

Odds: Kilkenny 5/6, Draw 10/1, Tipperary 11/10

Match Details: Nowlan Park; 7pm; Saturday, July 6, extra-time if necessary Tweet

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