Donegal v Armagh | All-Ireland Football Championship: Prediction for Round 2 Qualifiers 2022

The Round 1 Qualifiers of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships concluded last week which means we now know the draw for the Round 2 Qualifiers. The four losers from the provincial championships will now play the winners from the Round 1 Qualifiers. The winners will then progress ahead to play against the provincial finalists on the weekend of the 25th and 26th of June in what will be the Quarter-Finals. This weekend will host four matches of Irish football, and will see the provincial losers Donegal and Round 1 winners Armagh face off for the second time.

Emotions will certainly be riding high for both teams as the All-Ireland final and the trophy is within their reach. We are expecting an electrifying match and one that will surely produce some moments for the history books. So, which team do we think will actually be able to clinch the victory? Fans for both sides will be ready to shout the loudest, however, in this prediction we will look at past performances from both teams to get the best outlook ahead of the match on Sunday.

🏐 Donegal and Armagh Recent Performances in the Football Championship

It will come as no surprise that knowledge is key when it comes to making predictions. Factors to focus on such as the form of the team and points scored in the competition so far give a great indication of who have the better shot at outperforming their opponents. Therefore, taking a look at the past performances of both teams is the best place to start if you want to place bets on the upcoming match, for both experienced and novice betters to GAA Football. So, how did Donegal and Armagh get to this point in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships and how did they do?

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championships start with a provincial championship for Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster, the latter being the home for Donegal and Armagh. When Donegal played Armagh for the first time in the Quarter-Finals, the Tir Chonaill men managed to dominate the game with a score of 1-16 to Armagh’s 0-12. Paddy McBrearty scored the only goal in the 46th minute which gave the side a seven point lead. This created enormous pressure on the Orchard men which they were not able to overcome. Their win over Armagh wasn’t surprising to most as their record at MacCumhaill Park has been exceptional over the years. At Ballybofey, they have managed to get a 21-match winning streak in the league.

The Semi-Finals saw an equally strong performance leaving Donegal two goals up and a final score of 2-16 to 0-16 against Cavan. This would have been joyous news to the team after the last time the teams met in 2020 in which Cavan’s upset netted the Breffni men the Ulster Championship title. Conor O’Donnell and Paddy McBrearty both scored in the second-half of the match, adding to the pace and energy that allowed them to wrestle the victory from Cavan and progress to the final.

This was the 10th Ulster final for Donegal to experience in the last 10 years, with their last win in 2019. However, they narrowly missed out on the title and the fast track to the Quarter-Finals of the All-Ireland Championships by just two points. Derry clinched the win with a score of 1-16 to 1-14. This was a titanic battle of epic proportions in which extra time was needed. The Oak Leafers maintained a lead for the majority of the game, however, Donegal fought to the end as they tried to chase a last-ditch effort to net a winning goal. Odhran McFadden Ferry was the goal scorer of the match.

Turning to the upcoming match, Donegal will certainly be feeling fiery as their chance to get to the All-Ireland Final is now slightly more convoluted. Spurred on by the devastatingly difficult loss to Derry, Donegal are likely to bring intense energy to the match and will hope to leave no room for Armagh to gain a lead.

On Armagh’s side, the squad has had a slightly tumultuous journey to get to their current position. Several key players, namely Aidan Nugent, Rian O’Neill, and Stefan Campbell, were suspended for actions within a melee during the last round of the Allianz Division One game. The bans were later overturned in a controversial decision before their first meeting with Donegal in the Quarter-Finals of the Ulster Championship seven weeks ago. This contentious situation would have certainly crept doubts into the headspace of the squad and likely threatened their confidence before the Quarter-Final match. Ultimately, Armagh were not able to deal with the pressure Donegal dished out and finished a goal and three points down. This loss set their path to play in the Round 1 Qualifiers in which they faced Tyrone last week.

Armagh managed to shake off their last defeat and managed an upset over the All-Ireland defending champions, Tyrone, with a final score of 1-16 to 1-10. They had 10 different scorers and pulled off a complete team performance to give them the victory. Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty, who has been in the senior team since 2014, was on top form after managing to score two points - one in each half of the match. It was Aidan Nugent who netted a goal (worth three points) for the team. More points could have been on the cards for Armagh if it wasn’t for the O’Neill County’s good goalkeeping.

Armagh will certainly be carrying confidence into their ‘re-match’ with Donegal on Sunday. They will be looking to settle the score after their knockout Donegal delivered seven weeks ago in Ballybofey. Donegal have had a two weeks to recover from the provincial finals, while for the Armagh squad, it’s been one week since the Round 1 Qualifiers.

Armagh will want to gain more of a clinical edge if they want to keep Donegal in check and bring the same intensity that managed to bounce them back from their early provincial exit. Donegal will want to continue to bring the pace and energy to the upcoming game. Although history points to Donegal being a stronger team, if Donegal has any weak spots and fail to bring a complete team performance, it could be enough for Armagh to snatch the win.

💯 Odds of Donegal and Armagh Winning the Title

In this section of our prediction we look to the betting sites to see which team they are tipping for the win. There is a fair bit riding on this match as the losers will be knocked out of the competition. As we’ve seen from their history, Donegal is on great form and looks to be a strong contender to succeed. However, Armagh are certainly bringing the heat to the competition.

The table below holds the odds for the top Irish bookmakers, and Irish bettors see exactly what is on offer.

Team
Donegal	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	N/A
Armagh	2.10	2.10	2.05	2.05	2.10	N/A

As you can see, this is going to be an incredibly close match. The top bookmakers are struggling to call a clear favourite, and the odds are reflected as such. As it stands, Donegal are inching ahead of Armagh with the bookmakers currently offering evens. However, this doesn’t come as a surprise as they have already managed to beat Armagh once already in this season, and also experienced a very close defeat in the provincial finals against Derry in the Ulster final.

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🏆 Our Donegal v Armagh Match Prediction

We have now reached the end of our prediction, and there is only one thing left to cover. Who do we think will be able to take the victory on Sunday? As we have seen, both teams are incredibly strong and will be going into this final with different, but confident, mentalities.

For Donegal, they have already had a taste of a finals match, narrowly losing to Derry. They also carry the win of the previous encounter with Armagh earlier in the season. On the other hand, Armagh will be feeling buoyant after their upset against Tyrone in the Round 1 Qualifiers.