Galway vs Donegal Preview
Galway host Donegal in a massive National Football League Division One clash this weekend. These sides know each other very well after the Tribesmen dumped Tir Chonaill out of the Championship in the summer. Jim McGuinness will hope that his side can take revenge and launch their season in style.
Donegal are the reigning Division Two champions while Galway is 2024’s losing All-Ireland finalists. Both sides have plenty to prove and a victory at Pearse Stadium would be a great start. There’s more than bragging rights at stake here, with both sides hoping to contend with Dublin at the top. Throw-in will be at 3:45 pm on Sunday, February 23rd.
Galway vs Donegal Key Stats and Head-to-Head
This is already a massive game for both teams as they currently top the table with unbeaten starts to the season. Galway saw off Armagh in a repeat of the All-Ireland Final in the opening round. Next, they beat their arch-rivals Mayo in Castlebar. But they threw away a nine-point lead to draw with Derry in the third round.
Padraic Joyce’s men went into the break enjoying a big lead before the Oak Leaf County roared back. It wasn’t a perfect day for the Tribesmen, but at least Shane Walsh enjoyed himself. The dynamic forward scored eight points, including a pair of two-pointers. This new addition to his game could be a key weapon for Galway.
Frantic stuff! Michael Murphy makes his return, Aidan Forker receives red card for this head-butt. Michael scores a point immediately after. Then another. Stokes the fire of this rivalry.
Is there anything like the love, Donegal people have for Murphy?
pic.twitter.com/8tZV43Tx00— Thomas Niblock (@thomasniblock) February 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Donegal inflicted a demoralising defeat on Armagh in Ballybofey. Former All-Ireland winning captain Michael Murphy made his first appearance under Jim McGuinness after 11 years. It was a dream return for the veteran Glenswilly forward as he came off the bench to score three points. He also humiliated Armagh Captain Aidan Forker, who head-butted Murphy’s chest like a puck goat.
Murphy won the headlines, but Paddy McBrearty was the main man for Donegal. He scored six points, including one free. Interestingly, Donegal didn’t score a single two-pointer in this game. It remains to be seen if Jim McGuinness can adapt his tactics to take advantage of the GAA rule changes.
Galway edged a close 1-14 to 0-15 victory over Tir Chonaill in their last clash. This was an extremely tense All-Ireland semifinal that left fans biting their fingernails. The two teams drew level ten times, and it seemed nothing would separate them. Ultimately, Galway finished stronger with three points in the last quarter. Donegal only scored three as Jim McGuinness’ first season of his second spell ended.
Galway vs Donegal Predictions
Predicted Score: Galway 1-16 – 1-14 Donegal
The odds are very close in this game at our online sportsbook. Donegal is a slight favourite to defeat Galway in this National Football League clash. However, we disagree with this assessment. Our GAA football prediction is that Galway will narrowly beat Donegal again. There won’t be much between them, but Galway should get over the line.
Man-for-man, there isn’t much between these counties. However, Galway has a home advantage and we think this will count. Donegal enjoyed a massive lift after Michael Murphy came off the bench against Armagh. They won’t have the same level of support in Salthill and this could affect the players.
However, the key reason Galway will beat Donegal is because they are more prolific. Padraic Joyce doesn’t always get the same respect as a tactician as his counterpart McGuinness. But Galway is enjoying the new two-point rule more than Donegal right now. Shane Walsh is excellent from range and we think they’ll give Donegal too much to do.
While we’re picking Galway, it wouldn’t shock us if Donegal won. Anyone betting on the National Football League will know they have excellent firepower with dominant players like Oisin Gallen and Paddy McBrearty. Also, Galway has a slight vulnerability. We saw them throw away a win from a dominant position against Derry. Their All-Ireland Final defeat also still stings.
Michael Murphy, welcome back.pic.twitter.com/dWw6YzoNjM
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) February 16, 2025
We expect Michael Murphy to start this game for Donegal. His three points against Armagh were valuable. It remains to be seen if he can last at 35 years old, but he appears to be in outstanding condition. If he can sustain his impact, it will give Jim McGuinness a better chance of winning this match.
Galway and Donegal are developing an excellent rivalry. Tir Chonaill wants to show they’ve improved since their All-Ireland semifinal defeat. Meanwhile, Kerry is breathing down their neck in Division One. They’re desperate to win this game. We could see some more black cards because the passion will be palpable.
Don’t forget to check out the live betting options during this game. An early goal for either side could cause the odds to shift in one team’s favour. React to live events in real-time if players suffer injuries or red cards.
Galway vs Donegal Betting Tips
The odds are very close between these teams on our sports betting site. However, Donegal have the edge as slight favourites. It’s 10/11 for Tir Chonaill to beat Galway in this top-of-the-table Division One clash. A successful €10 stake would make €9.09. This is an excellent margin, but we think it’s wiser to back the underdog with an outright wager.
Galway are 11/10 to win on Sunday. The same €10 wager would make an €11 profit. Their home advantage and ability to score long-range points give us more faith in their chances. Betting on Galway seems like the smart pick because there’s so little to choose between these teams. However, this would deliver higher returns if they win.
Betting on Gaelic football is exciting as we offer many markets. You can make an over-under wager on the total number of points in this game. We predict there will be under forty, but the two-point rule makes this even trickier to predict. You can also bet on the total number of points in each half as well as first and second-half winners.
Another option is betting on individual players. Shane Walsh is in outstanding form for Galway. He delivered superb performances against Mayo and Derry. Walsh is Galway’s main scoring threat right now and is averaging two two-pointers per game. These long-range scores could be crucial for Galway in Salthill this weekend. We think he will be the game’s top scorer.
Paddy McBrearty is also enjoying a strong league campaign. He’s an obvious choice to be Donegal’s top scorer in this game. However, Oisin Gallen is also a prolific forward. He could be an excellent selection to score a goal against Galway. Gallen has been decent without setting the world on fire, so he’s due a big performance.
https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1891525518052274350
Some canny bettors will pick Galway to win the first half, but Donegal to win the overall game. Derry almost made the Tribesmen pay for their fragilities last weekend. We believe Donegal are a better team than the Oak Leaf County. Even though we’re picking Galway to win, it wouldn’t shock us if Jim McGuinness exposed Galway’s flaws.
There’s plenty more league action this weekend. Dublin plays Derry in a rematch of last season’s Division One final. The Dubs are full of confidence after beating Kerry in Tralee for the first time since the eighties. They are big favourites to overcome the Oak Leaf County and take revenge for last season’s defeat. Betting on Dublin makes sense because they are in a better moment than beleaguered Derry now.
Galway Team News and Predicted Lineup
Padraic Joyce may make a couple of changes to his lineup after the capitulation against Derry. He may return to the team that inflicted the biggest defeat on Mayo in over 40 years. There’s still no sign of Damien Comer in the panel.
- Predicted Lineup: Connor Gleeson, Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Liam Silke, Dylan McHugh, John Daly, Sean Kelly, Paul Conroy, John Maher, Sam O’Neill, Shane Walsh, Cein Darcy, Cillian Ó Curraoin, Matthew Tierney, and Finnian O Laoi.
Donegal Team News and Predicted Lineup
Jim McGuinness will decide if he wants to give Michael Murphy a start. The former captain delivered an inspirational performance off the bench against Armagh. Otherwise, we predict they’ll start the same team that earned a victory over their Ulster rivals.
- Predicted Lineup: Shaun Patton, Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan, Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Hugh McFadden, Ciaran Thompson, Shane O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell, Ciaran Moore, Patrick McBrearty, Oisin Gallen, and Jamie Brennan.
