Donegal coach Colm McFadden is wary of the attacking threat of Derry as the current Ulster champions begin the defence of their crown on Sunday.
The Tír Conaill men are one of sides considered as possible All-Ireland winners in what is an opening look contest.
The provincial competitions start this weekend, and, as always, Ulster is set to provide some of the closest matches.
McFadden stressed Donegal can't be slow to start in Ballybofey and live off last season.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport: "We know it's a new season and that first game against Derry is a massive game for Donegal.
"Without doubt if you’re All-Ireland champions or Ulster champions or whatever province you're in, teams are always out to beat you.
"It's one that we have to be fully focused going into and fully prepared because obviously any team in Ulster, if you're not on your 'A’ game, they can turn you over.
"In particular Derry with the quality forwards they have. They've got a good understanding of each other too and that team has played a lot of football together.
"They have experience of playing at the top level, back-to-back Ulster titles and a league title so we know very much if we don't come to MacCumhaill Park with the right attitude and ticking all the boxes that Derry can very much turn us over."
"We know very much if we don't go in with the right attitude, ticking all the boxes, that Derry can very much turn us over"
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) April 4, 2025
Donegal selector Colm McFadden looks ahead to Sunday's Ulster SFC clash with Derry pic.twitter.com/w6Mlg2Rs8o
Michael Murphy has returned to the Donegal panel, a move which would help get them further than last year's semi-final appearance.
McFadden feels the returning faces to their squad could make a difference.
He explained: "It's the second season under Jim and you'd hope the experience of last year will stand to them and that there is that wee bit of hunger after coming up short against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final last year.
"You hope that experience of losing that game will stand to them and the fact that we've added to the panel too, there's four or five fellas that had inter-county experience that have come back into the fold this year helps and experience is really important going into these games.
"Hopefully that will help us to improve our performance on last year and then take us a wee bit further."
Being in a league final would have been something of a hindrance for Donegal, given it would have been just seven days from their Ulster opener.
McFadden denied they set out to finish in mid-table in that competition.
"I think it's just the way it worked out in the end," he said.
"Obviously the first priority was to retain our status in Division 1. In the end, I suppose we were able to get game time into different players and some boys with a couple of injuries, we were able to nurse them.
"We got to see a few players in different positions and that. So it's the way it panned out in the end I suppose."
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