Five-time All-Ireland SFC winner Tomas Ó Sé believes Cian O'Neill's Kildare will face a serious test of mettle in their Leinster SFC quarter-final showdown with Wexford on Saturday [5.15pm].
The Lilywhites come into the Croker clash on the back of their Allianz Football League Division 3 final defeat to Clare, and former Kerry half-back Ó Sé warned they will be feeling the pressure .
"I just think Kildare are under a small bit of pressure coming in," he told RTÉ Sport.
"Losing to Clare wasn’t ideal and I suppose coming from last year’s drubbing against Kerry there were still chances for Clare to score goals and I do think they have a gem of a player in Neil Flynn.
"I think they have too much up front for Wexford. Wexford are relying on Ben Brosnan and Donal Shanley. They done very well, they should have come up from Division 3. You have to say that Kildare have the better chance here. But Kildare are under pressure - it could be a battle."
On Sunday Roscommon travel to Páirc Sean Mac Diarmada on Sunday [3.30pm] for their own provincial moment of truth against Leitrim, with that flirtation with disaster in New York still fresh in many minds.
The Rossies enjoyed a fruitful Division 1 campaign, defying expectations after their promotion last year to make the semi-finals, eventually falling to Kerry.
A dreadful display in the Bronx in their Connacht SFC opener took the wind out of their sails somewhat, but Ó Sé doesn't foresee them slipping up this weekend, and backed them to take some scalps of their own before the summer is out.
"Roscommon have done brilliantly this year, absolutely amazing in Division 1," he said.
"Everybody expected them to go down but they came up and stayed up on merit. I think they will be worried about New York.
"They could catch a lot of people out but I’d be more worried about the Kerry performance in the league semi-final. It looked like boys against men, the physicality of the situation.
"They are missing a few players as well. Roscommon play against better teams, they are playing quicker football against better players in Division 1, and Leitrim are struggling in the bottom of Division 4. That should be the difference and at the end of the day and you would expect Roscommon to power through."
It looks certain to be an explosive encounter in Celtic Park as Derry and Tyrone go head to head again in the Ulster SFC quarter-final [2.0pm].
The Red Hands overcame Derry in their unbeaten Allianz League campaign that saw them earn promotion to Division 1.
Ó Sé feels they hold an edge over Damian Barton's men, and expects Mickey Harte's teak-tough charges' incredibly mean defence to prove too much for the hosts to overcome.
"There is huge history between these two. They have played each other so many times this year already.
"There is a physicality there. I don’t think it will be that big on Sunday I don’t think it will be an issue. Fourteen seasons for Mickey Harte, it’s phenomenal.
"The one thing about Tyrone is their defence - it impresses me no end. Just the system they have, three goals they have conceded in the whole of the National League, it’s phenomenal.
"You know Derry have a turnover of players from last year and that worries me. Eighteen new players started this season that didn’t start at all last season and that’s a bit of worry. It’s not as if they're drowned with talent above there at the moment.
"So I do think the fact that Tyrone are so difficult to break down and the fact that they have it psychologically over Derry at the moment, Derry will struggle to beat this team. I think Tyrone will power through."
