Meath v Kildare

With Dublin facing a tough battle to get past Tyrone, the winner of this clash could well be the only side from Leinster left in the Championship come Sunday evening.

Louth are the common link between these sides this summer. Kildare were knocked out by the Wee County in a Leinster quarter-final, while Meath forward Joe Sheridan's illegal goal robbed Louth of their first provincial crown in 53 years.

Meath were thoroughly unconvincing in the Leinster decider, and the controversial goal would have meant little had Louth not been so profligate in front of the posts.

The Royals' performance was a distance away from the five-goal display that saw them blow Dublin out of the water in the provincial semis.

Midfield is still a problem area for Eamonn O'Brien's men, and they will have their work cut out trying to contain Kildare's duo of Dermot Earley and Daryl Flynn, assuming the former is fit. Earley tweaked a hamstring in the handy win over Monaghan last Saturday, and he has been struggling with injury all summer.

Meath have reached the All-Ireland semi-finals twice in the last three years, while this is Kildare's third consecutive year to reach the last eight.

That indicates both sides have plenty of experience of such occasions and so naivety should not be a factor.

Meath certainly started the summer in better shape than the Lilywhites, but Kieran McGeeney's men have become an increasingly formidable outfit as the back-door games have come and gone.

There is the lingering question over Kildare's ability to withstand the physical and mental demands of playing six weekends in-a-row, although they have shown no ill-effects on that front to date.

Meath's forwards have the ability to kick big tallies, but Kildare have been no slouches in that department in spite of some erratic shooting on their part.

Kildare may need to engineer a sizeable lead to protect as they tire, but they appear to more than capable of doing so at the moment.

Verdict: Kildare