This weekend’s All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers previews

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 1B - Saturday Carlow v Waterford Dr Cullen Park, 2.0 Both these teams must feel like they're playing for pride here, or at least to salvage something from their season. Carlow have had some rough days in the football championship, and conceding seven goals and 13 points against Meath at Dr Cullen Park two weeks ago has to rank as one of their roughest. Scoring a mere six points in reply, and only one from play, was rough beyond words.

Manager Anthony Rainbow has been trying to keep spirits high, but that can't be easy when many of the county's best footballers aren't even playing. At least the draw was relatively easy on them, although they welcome a Waterford team who will have taken some confidence from the fact they drew with a Clare team who went on to put up a reasonable show against Kerry. Carlow did win the first and only other qualifier meeting, back in 2001, but that's where their hopes end, as Waterford's forwards such as Paul Whyte and Shane Aherne look poised to take them out. Tyrone v Louth Healy Park, 2.30 Seán Cavanagh reminded us this week of the day Louth very nearly took out Tyrone, the then All-Ireland champions, in the 2006 qualifiers, before Mickey Harte's team eventually won the replay.

So there certainly won’t be any complacency here, not even in Healy Park, and indeed Harte has named a daunting line-up which includes a fit again Stephen O’Neill at full forward, with county minor star Conor McKenna added to the bench. Also worthy of reference is the fact the next time Tyrone played Louth in qualifiers, in 2008, they beat them handily, by eight points, before going on another devastating qualifier run which ended with another All-Ireland.

Louth were puzzlingly poor in their Leinster quarter-final against Kildare, a performance not helped by some scandalously loose marking. Manager Aidan O’Rourke spoke of an anger within the team after that display, and indeed without the dexterity of goalkeeper Neil Gallagher, Louth would have conceded far more than 1-22. They’re unlikely to be as bad here, and there has to be more in tank of Paddy Keenan and Brian White.

There also appeared to be some anger within the Tyrone team after their performance against Monaghan in the Ulster quarter-final, their first championship defeat to Monaghan since 1988. Indeed Harte has reflected that in his team selection, dropping the likes of Justin McMahon, Martin Penrose and Ronan O'Neill. While Louth are capable of unleashing some of their anger on Tyrone, the anger leftover from Tyrone's own display against Monaghan is more likely to prevail. Cavan v Westmeath Breffni Park, 3.0 Neither of these teams would have hoped to have ended up in the first round qualifiers, but only Cavan can feel like it they deserve it. Whatever about the exact impact of their pre-match brawl which marred their Ulster championship quarter-final against Armagh, their performance on the field never once lived up to expectations, not helped of course by the loss of Martin Dunne, who had kicked eight points from play in their victory over Armagh the previous year.

Dunne is also suspended for this game, as is defender Feargal Flanagan -both singled out for their involvement in that pre-match melee - but manager Terry Hyland is insisting that won’t be any excuse here. Indeed Westmeath have been weakened too since their Leinster defeat to Louth, losing Doron Harte and Alan Giles to cruciate injuries, with several more players simply opting out. Cavan can only improve from the last day, and assuming they do then Westmeath will struggle to stay with them.

Down v Leitrim Sunday, Páirc Esler, 2pm No easy breaks for Leitrim as they have to travel to Páirc Esler to keep their summer alive. Cathal McCrann and Paddy Maguire both started the Connacht championship match against Roscommon and were among the group who elected to make other summer plans after that defeat.

Their ambitions have been further thwarted by a three-month ban imposed on defender John Brennan following an incident in his club game. Leitrim are hoping to have the suspension overturned ahead of tomorrow’s game.

Leitrim will require huge performances from Wayne McKeon and Emlyn Mulligan if they are to penetrate a Down side who have developed a formidable defensive blanket.

James McCartan is also missing three players who booked holidays for this week but with Benny Coulter dropping heavy hints that this will be his final season with Down, they are poised for an honest run in the qualifiers.