The biggest day in the domestic soccer calendar has arrived and it's the dominant club of the era, Shamrock Rovers, taking on big outsiders Cork City.
Rovers were last week crowned League of Ireland champions for the fifth time in six seasons, and a record-extending 22nd time.
City, on the other hand, have been relegated for the third time in six seasons, and it was confirmed in their fourth to last game.
It's difficult to look past Stephen Bradley's all conquering Hoops.
Replicating glory days of Glenmalure Park
This current era of Rovers' success owes its origin, to some extent, to the very competition the club will be aiming to win again later today.
Back in the summer of 2018, it was a very different story.
Bradley was teetering on the brink, with a large section of the fanbase calling for his sacking after a 5-2 defeat to Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium.
An infamous banner was unfurled with the words, 'It's not working out. Enough is enough and it looked like Bradley's time in charge of the club might be coming to an end.
Fast forward 17 months, and Gary O'Neill's winner in the penalty shootout against Dundalk secured a first FAI Cup triumph for the Hoops in 32 years.
Since then, it's been all Rovers, with their only missed title being last year's surprise success for Damien Duff's Shelbourne.
Even that blip saw them only fall short of the title on the last day, and in the last five minutes of the action, as Harry Wood got the goal the Reds needed to claim the league crown by two points.
This current incarnation of the League of Ireland's most successful club have achieved one thing that great Rovers teams of the past didn't have, and that's progress on the continent.
While the club qualified for the Europa League group stages in the 2011-12 season, they then lost all six games in the competition.
Since then though, they've managed to progress to the knockouts stages of a competition proper, and to qualify for a European competition without going through the champions route, both of which are historic achievements for a League of Ireland club, even if they managed them in the Conference League.
What's left for Stephen Bradley and this squad to achieve?
Well, there is one notch on the belt which the team from the 1980s managed that the club hasn't done since - the domestic double.
It was 1987 the last time Rovers scaled those heights, and Bradley has been trying to derive motivation from that era this week by reportedly inviting some of the members of the 1980s squad to the club's training base at Roadstone.
Winning the league and cup in the same season has been done by clubs six times already in this century, so doubles are not all that rare.
For Rovers to manage one today would just add more weight to the idea this team is one of the greatest to ever play in the League of Ireland.
Rebels with a cause
So, what are Cork's chances of claiming a first title since 2017, and a 13th title overall for the various iterations of League of Ireland clubs from the city over the years?
The season has been a difficult one for City, with Tim Clancy deciding to step away from the manager's job in May, citing a lack of full-time staff as one of the reasons for his decision to leave.
The fact that Cork have suffered a third relegation since 2020 speaks to the difficulties of breaking out of that group of yo-yo clubs who are at the top end of the First Division, but then invariably in the bottom two positions in the top flight.
That said, it's far from all doom and gloom going into the game for City.
While they lost both games between the clubs at Tallaght Stadium 4-1, they managed two draws with Rovers in their games at Turners Cross. That should give them belief that they can make the game into a war of attrition.
Eleven of the 19 FAI Cup finals since 2006 have gone to extra-time and, of those, six have been decided on penalties. That could be a route yet for City.
They don't need to look too far back to see an underdog coming to Dublin, taking the game to the favourites and winning it. Last year Drogheda, who had finished ninth in the league, beat Derry City - fourth in the table - 2-0 on Lansdowne Road.
Add to that Rovers' form, which saw them lose four of their last five games in the league, combined with their tough start to the Conference League before Thursday's draw in Athens, and it's fair to say that the Hoops aren't putting their best foot forward currently.
But, for Cork defender Fiacre Kelleher, there is no sense of this being a battle between two equals. Instead, the Rebel Army are trying to embrace the underdogs tag, and send out a message against the best team in the country.
"We play this fixture ten times and Rovers will probably win nine times," he told RTÉ Sport this week.
"But like the rest of the Cork City fans travelling up on the day, we are full of hope, it's a one-off and we will fancy our chances. If we're at our best and have a little bit of luck on our side, the day can be ours - hopefully."
As noted by A Game of Two Halves, "2025 has also been the year of Crystal Palace beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, Bologna beating AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final and Aberdeen beating Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. While Go Ahead Eagles and Dungannon Swifts were unexpected first-time winners of their domestic cup competitions in the Netherlands and Northern Ireland respectively."
We'll know whether they're clutching at straws or victory for the underdogs is written in the stars by about 5 o'clock this evening.
Expert view
"I'm so fearful for Cork," Richie Towell said on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"I know they're going to bring a massive crowd. I hope that can help them because they're going to need all the help they can get.
"Cork are going to try to keep it compact but Rovers always try to create the overloads outside and I'm fearful Cork won't be able to handle it.
"Rovers are going to be way too strong for them on the day."
Fellow podcast guest Alan Cawley was also backing Rovers to get the job done, even if the sense of history might weigh on the shoulders of Bradley and his players.
"Cork haven't won an away match all season in the league," said the former UCD, Bray and Shelbourne midfielder.
"They've only picked up four points out of 18 games on the road. They've conceded 39 goals away from home. You're travelling up to Dublin and saying to yourself, 'can we keep a clean sheet' - that's a starting point.
"The big thing is don't concede early, give yourself a chance in the game.
"For the dominance Rovers have had, with no real rival - and that's not their fault - they should have been winning doubles so there's a bit of added pressure there."
Watch the Sports Direct FAI Cup final, Shamrock Rovers v Cork City, on Sunday from 2pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
