Kerry have all the experience and a fair share of incentive

Kerry v Monaghan: (Sunday Croke Park 4pm) - THE GAA has an uncanny knack of igniting these little pockets of rivalry, and after last year's memorable All-Ireland quarter-final, Kerry and Monaghan feel like two old enemies going back into battle.

When the Monaghan manager Séamus McEnaney was this week asked how much last year's meeting - and that narrow, painful defeat - would bear on tomorrow's game, he provided a one-word answer: "Irrelevant."

At the time, however, McEnaney described that defeat as akin to having his heart torn out, and there can be little doubting that revenge and redemption for 2007 will be to the fore in the minds of all the Monaghan players in Croke Park tomorrow.

Like last year, they're coming in off an impressive qualifier run, the slight difference this time being they'd failed to live up to the expectations of winning Ulster.

Assuming that has fuelled their determination, and they are at full strength, they should, in theory, be an even better team than the one that met Kerry a year ago.

There is, however, the problem of this being their third high-pressure game in as many weeks, coming hot on the heels of hard-fought wins over Derry and then Donegal - both by a single point.

Fatigue is bound to kick in at some stage, which means they'll have to stay with Kerry early on, or else risk falling off the pace well before the finish.

Monaghan are playing impressive football. Tomás Freeman continues to build on his reputation as one of the best forwards in the country, and despite being named at full back, Kerry's Marc Ó Sé is almost certain to man-mark him.

Paul Finlay is also playing superb football a little farther out the field and has looked flawless with free-taking, and Kerry definitely won't want to give too much away inside Monaghan scoring territory.

The value of Declan O'Sullivan's return from a knee injury can't be overstated. His work-rate off the ball is often overlooked, and of course he's deadly in front of goal.

It remains to be seen if Colm Cooper will in fact start at centre forward, although the big full-forward duo of Kieran Donaghy (6ft 5in) and Tommy Walsh (6ft 4in) will inevitably be tried, probably from early on.

Seán O'Sullivan can feel a little unlucky to be dropped, but Eoin Brosnan can have no complaints, given he was one of several players lost in the second-half storm that Cork created in the Munster final.

The only real surprise in Pat O'Shea's selection is that Séamus Scanlon held on to his midfield position alongside Darragh Ó Sé, given he found the breaking ball almost impossible to contain against Cork.

The old saying that a good team does not become a bad team overnight - let alone become a bad team over a half-time break - still holds true and assuming Kerry aren't yet a pale shadow of the team of last summer their greater spread of class and experience should rise to the top.

If they get a run at Monaghan the way they did against Cork in the first half of the Munster final (not to mention last year's All-Ireland final) then they could soon turn it into the sort of one-sided affair no one is predicting.

Monaghan probably have too much incentive to allow that to happen, but then Kerry aren't short of incentive either.

If at any stage they feel that slip they'll only have to think about their absent captain Paul Galvin - and how badly he must want to get to play in Croke Park in September in the final push for a third successive All-Ireland.

KERRY:D Murphy; P Reidy, M Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, A O'Mahony, K Young; D Ó Sé, S Scanlon; T Walsh, C Cooper, D Walsh; D O'Sullivan, K Donaghy, B Sheehan.

MONAGHAN:TBA

Referee:M Deegan (Laois).

Guidelines

In the last episode: Neither team will need any reminding of this. Last year's All-Ireland quarter-final could have gone down as one of the great upsets of all-time, as Monaghan dominated Kerry for long periods - only to lose by a point. It means they've still to beat Kerry in the championship.

You bet: Paddy Power are giving odds of 1/4 for a Kerry win, 10/1 for a draw, and a Monaghan win at 7/2.

On your marks: Kerry were puzzlingly slow to get going against Monaghan last year, and that was put down to the six-week break since capturing the Munster title. It would be inexplicable for them to start so slowly again, and something along the lines of their Munster final first-half display is more likely.

Gaining ground: One of the explanations for Monaghan's inability to put Kerry away a year ago was the pressure brought on by a fiery climax in Croke Park, something Kerry were far more familiar with. That shouldn't be any great disadvantage for Monaghan this time, although Kerry with all their vast experience remain far more at home at headquarters.

Just the ticket: Outlet locations on match day are the GAA Ticket Shop, North Circular Road (opposite Gill's pub), the Bishop's Palace on Drumcondra Road, outside Martin Properties at the Dorset St end of Whitworth Road and also under the railway bridge on the Ballybough Road.

Ticket prices: stand €30; terrace €20 (no concession on terrace); juveniles €5 to stands (juveniles must be accompanied by adult. Juvenile tickets are available for Davin Stand and designated sections of Cusack Stand); senior citizens €15 (Cusack and Davin Stands only. Concession refunds from Block D turnstiles to rear of Cusack Stand prior to entry. No refunds available after entry to stadium); students €15 (Cusack and Davin Stands only. Concession refunds from Block D turnstiles to rear of Cusack Stand prior to entry. No refunds available after entry to stadium).

Crystal gazing: This is a big-pressure game for Kerry, no doubt about that, and it looks like one of those games where the pressure should bring out the best in the All-Ireland champions.