Dublin vs Derry Preview
Dublin face Derry in the National Football League this weekend. The sides will play at Croke Park on February 22nd. Dublin hopes to build on their excellent victory over Kerry in their last league game. Meanwhile, Derry is looking for their first win of the new league campaign.
These sides know each other well and enjoyed a classic clash last year in the Division 1 final. Their fans will hope for another entertaining game of football. The new two-point rule is one of many GAA rule changes that will add another fascinating dimension to this fixture. Dublin are favourites but we can never count Derry out.
Dublin vs Derry Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Derry and Dublin are two of the top GAA teams in the country. However, the Dubs are enjoying a better moment right now. They’ve rebounded from their unsuccessful All-Ireland campaign in style. Meanwhile, it’s been a tough start to life for the new Derry Bainisteoir Paddy Tally.
The Oak Leaf County suffered heartbreaking back-to-back losses against Mayo and Kerry. They were in contention in both games but fell short. The defeat against the Kingdom was particularly galling. A pair of late Kerry goals shattered their hopes of victory. Tally was already beginning to feel the pressure.
However, Derry finally secured their first point of the season with a draw against Galway. They showed their heart and willpower in an inspiring 0-16 to 1-13 fightback at Celtic Park. The Tribesmen led by nine points at half-time. But Derry exploded into life in the second half with Shane McGuigan scoring his first two-point free.
Conor Glass and Lachlan Murray helped the Oak Leaf County close the gap to 0-11 to 1-11 with fifteen minutes left. McGuigan’s outstanding frees helped them pull level and Derry will feel they could have even won the game. Ultimately, they went home with a well-deserved draw against top opposition.
Meanwhile, Dublin also produced a massive comeback beating Kerry by the narrowest of margins. They won 0-19 to 1-15 in a very entertaining clash at Austin Stack Park. Luke Breathnach was the hero as he kicked the winning point in the 69th minute. Dublin took advantage of the two-point scoring system with Sean O’Shea and Ciaran Kilkenny successful from range.
Dublin and Derry met in the league final last season. The Oak Leaf County defeated the Dubs on penalties to win their seventh crown. Odhran Lynch was the hero for Derry that day in goal. However, Neil McNicholl is the incumbent keeper after starting ahead of Lynch in the last two games.
Dublin vs Derry Predictions
Predicted Score: Dublin 1-16 – 0-14 Derry
Our online bookmaker has Dublin as the justifiable favourite ahead of this National Football League game. This is fair because they have won their opening three games of the campaign. Derry had a challenging start to life under Paddy Tally and is in transition. That’s why our GAA prediction is that Dublin will win this game.
We believe Dublin has a settled squad under Bainisteoir Dessie Farrell. They have talented players throughout their panel and a never-say-die attitude. Their victory over Kerry proved they can cope with adversity, but it may also give Derry hope of causing an upset. We expect Dublin to eke out a relatively comfortable win.
There could be a record number of two-point scores in this game. Shane McGuigan is Derry’s main threat, with eight points against Galway. He scored an excellent two-point free in that match and we expect Derry to use this as a tactic. Lachlan Murray is another point-scoring threat who may drop deeper in this game.
Dublin mastered the two-point score against Kerry, with several players notching from range. We believe this will be a crucial factor in this match. Derry could struggle to contest the ball in midfield and Dublin should take advantage. The wind could also be a factor in this game.
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Padraig McGrogan’s return from injury is an enormous boost for Derry. Tally will carefully manage McGrogan’s minutes after his recovery from cruciate ligament surgery. McGrogan is one of the top defensive players in the country. If he plays, it will make Dublin’s job much more challenging.
These teams have a history, so we expect this to be an emotional battle. We predict there will be at least one black card in this game. The winning team could be the one that maintains their discipline better.
Don’t forget to check out the live betting odds. One injury, a red card, or even the weather could change everything. React to in-game events in real time for a better chance of winning.
Dublin vs Derry Betting Tips
Anyone betting on the National Football League will not be surprised that Dublin enters this as the heavy favourite. They deserve this status after their wins over Mayo and Kerry. Now they hope to add Derry’s scalp to their impressive run. Dessie Farrell knows his team better than his opposite number, Paddy Tally, and this could be the difference.
The Dubs are 4/7 favourites to defeat Derry at Croke Park on our sports betting platform. These are respectable odds because a €10 stake would make €5.71. Betting on Dublin makes sense because they’re in a better place and a victory would deliver a decent profit. We predict they will win, but they’re a young side, so it’s not a guarantee.
This is the league and anything can happen because managers experiment with their squads ahead of the summer action. That’s why Derry will feel they can cause an upset. The Oak Leaf County is 13/8 underdogs. This time, a €10 stake would make €16.25. Some players may find this tempting because Derry is improving.
Check out the individual player odds in this game. We think Dublin will win, but we fancy Derry’s Shane McGuigan to be the top scorer. He is his county’s main free-taker and is prolific from the field. We believe that he will also add more two-pointers to his game. Conor Glass is also prolific for Derry and is their main goal-scoring threat.
Ciaran Kilkenny is always dependable for Dublin and will be their key player again in this match. Sean Bugler was also outstanding against Kerry and will hope to maintain his momentum. There are opportunities for players in the absence of Con O’Callaghan and other stars. Bugler is a good bet for back-to-back RTE Man of the Match awards.
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Over-under betting is always a good option for GAA fans because there are many options. You can bet on the total number of points in this game or the amount of black, yellow, and red cards. Other GAA markets include picking the first and full-time winners and odd/even points totals.
Neil McNicholl will be a central figure for Derry in this game. The former midfielder is now the Oak Leaf County’s first-choice goalkeeper. Goals will be crucial in this game and he must keep Ciaran Kilkenny and co. out. McNicholl is also a good outside bet for a point, as he proved with an impressive score against Galway.
There are many other GAA betting opportunities for players. Despite Dublin’s victory last weekend, Kerry remains the favourite to win the All-Ireland GAA Championship. It’s 5/2 for them to lift the Sam Maguire with Dublin available on 4/1. An impressive victory for the Dubs over Derry may cause these odds to narrow, so you could lock in your All-Ireland Football bets now.
Dublin Team News and Predicted Lineup
We predict Dublin will start the same line-up that defeated Kerry in Tralee for the first time since 1982. However, Dessie Farrell may be tempted to throw Luke Breathnach and Lorcan O’Dell into the mix after their impressive performances off the bench.
- Predicted Lineup: E Comerford, S MacMahon, T Clancy, D Byrne, G McEneaney, C Murphy, A Gavin, B Howard, T Lahiff, K Lahiff, S Bugler, C Kilkenny, S Lowry, E O’Donnell, and N Scully.
Derry Team News and Predicted Lineup
Paddy Tally has a couple of decisions to make before this clash with Dublin. Neil McNicholl is likely to continue in goal after ousting Odhran Lynch. The big question is whether he’ll start Padraig McGrogan after his substitute appearance against Galway.
- Predicted Lineup: N McNicholl, D Baker, E McEvoy, M Bradley, C Doherty, B Rogers, D Cassidy, C Glass, A Tohill, C McFaul, P Cassidy, E Doherty, B McCarron, S McGuigan, and N Toner.
