Mayo v Cavan Prediction, Betting Odds & Tips - (2025) All-Ireland SFC
| Timetable | 18th May, 14:30 GMT |
| Prediction | Mayo To Win! |
| Odds | 1.18 |
| Bookmaker | Lunubet Sports |
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Mayo and Cavan kick off Group 1 of the 2025 All Ireland SFC Group Stage in Castlebar on Sunday, May 18th. Throw-in at McHale Park is scheduled for 14:30 GMT with both sides looking to bounce back from defeats in their last games. Mayo lost another Connacht Final to old rivals Galway in a match Kevin McStay’s team really should have won on May 4th, while Cavan were routinely taken care of by Tyrone in their Ulster Quarterfinal tie back on April 13th.
Group 1 also contains Tyrone and Donegal, and in this preview to the opening match in Group 1, we will guide you through the updated betting odds, as well as provide you with a few betting tips that might help if you are having a bet on the match.
🏆 Mayo v Cavan Prediction
If Mayo are harbouring any thoughts of contesting the latter stages of this year’s All-Ireland Championship, they should really be picking up the two points on offer in this opening group game. With that in mind, that is our Mayo v Cavan All-Ireland SFC prediction as we look forward to the game.
Mayo reached the Division 1 League Final, and although they disappointed in that, they showed enough promise in the games leading up to that and in their loss to Galway in the Connacht Final to prove they are not a million miles away from the top teams in the country.
Cavan, for their part, finished mid-table in Division 2 of the League before struggling to lay a glove on Tyrone bar a spell in the second half, losing 1-24 – 0-20 in their Ulster quarterfinal. The defeat to Tyrone could have been far worse but for a flurry of two-pointers in the second half, and if Mayo can limit the influence of Cavan’s long-range shooting, they should be able to kick off their group stage with a home win.
They will need to, after the disappointment of their failure to stop Galway winning their fourth consecutive Connacht Championship. Mayo had Paddy Durcan on the bench for that Final and will hope their talismanic halfback can make an appearance with another fortnight of training under his belt. There are certainly some tactical issues, such as their kick-out strategy and how best to use Aidan O’Shea, that Mayo have to sort out, but if they can, they should be far too strong for Cavan.
OUR PREDICTION: 🏆 MAYO TO WIN🏆
💯 Mayo v Cavan Betting Odds
Mayo will go into the game as strong favourites with many of Ireland’s best betting sites. That is due to the level Mayo have been playing at this year and the stronger recent history that they have compared to Cavan. Cavan will need to bring a strong performance to Castlebar if they are to stand any chance of shocking their Connacht opponents. Be sure to shop around if you are having a bet on the Mayo v Cavan match to find the best value. Before having a bet on this or any match during the Championship, be sure to check out our sportsbook reviews page.
✔️ Mayo v Cavan Betting Tips
We will now provide you with a selection of Mayo v Cavan betting tips that will hopefully point you in the right direction if you have a free bet offer to avail of, or you just fancy having a bet on the match.
- Tip 1: Cavan to beat the Handicap: While we would expect a Mayo victory, we think it will be a close-run result after 70 minutes. That is as much to do with the fact that Mayo this season don’t appear to be beating sides that they are favourites to beat by scorelines that are expected of them. Against Sligo, they only beat them by three points, while in their Connacht semi-final against Leitrim, the minnows managed to keep their defeat to single figures, losing by seven in the end.
The handicap looks like being around +6.5 for Cavan in this match, which they are more than capable of keeping the score within. If you think Cavan can beat the +6.5 handicap against Mayo, you can get a price of 1.95 with DirectionBet on Ray Galligan’s team doing just that.
- Tip 2: Ryan O’Donoghue to score a goal anytime: O’Donoghue is by far and away Mayo’s scorer in chief this year, with the Connacht runners-up heavily reliant on the Belmullet man for scores. He has proven to be one of the best forwards in the country in recent years, however, and if Mayo are going to raise a green flag against Cavan, chances are their star man will be involved. He has hit 1-22 so far this season and will look to lead his side to victory in Castlebar.
- Tip 3: Half Time/Full Time: Mayo/Mayo: We fully expect Mayo to take control from an early stage against their Ulster opponents and stay in front for much of the match against Cavan. A runaway victory probably won’t happen in Castlebar, as it’s not really in this Mayo team’s style to run away with games, even against perceived weaker opposition. They should be able to take the lead, however, and hold onto it against Cavan. If you agree, you can get a *goto directionbet-sport [price of 1.31 with DirectionBet] * on Mayo leading at half-time and full-time against Cavan in Castlebar.
⚽ Mayo Squad Form
Mayo lost a second Connacht Final in a row to Galway on May 4th and will need to put in a performance against Cavan to pick up the vital two points ahead of tougher outings in Group 1 against Tyrone and Donegal. Paddy Durcan was named on the bench against Galway but failed to make an appearance, with Mayo fans hoping that long-awaited comeback might happen.
If it does and he returns at somewhere near his best, it will be a huge boost to Mayo as they move on in the Championship. Tommy Conroy is the other long-term absentee that Mayo fans are hoping will come back at some point this summer, and if he does, the potential reintroduction of Durcan and Conroy could provide a much-needed spark to Mayo’s attack.
⚽ Cavan Squad Form
Cavan won four and lost three of their seven League matches this year, finishing fourth in Division 2. They then played Tyrone in the Ulster quarterfinal, but never really made any kind of impression on their opponents in that game. They were losing by 13 at one point in that game before hitting a range of two-pointers to bring the final deficit to seven.
That ability to kick two-pointers may stand them in good stead against Mayo, as they will have witnessed Galway hit three two-pointers during the Connacht Final. Raymond Galligan will need big performances from the likes of Oisin Kernan and Dara McVeety who hit 0-8 points against Tyrone, and Gearoid McKiernan if they want to have a chance of surprising Mayo in Castlebar.
👕 Mayo v Cavan Predicted Lineups
Due to Cavan only playing one match in the Championship so far, we have listed the starting 15 that Raymond Galligan put out against Tyrone on April 13th as our projected Cavan line-up for the game in Castlebar. Mayo have had three games in the Championship and only played on May 4th; we have a better idea of what line-up Kevin McStay is likely to choose to kick off Group 1. The return of Paddy Durcan or Tommy Conroy could alter the line-up but based on the teams he has picked so far, below, we have selected a possible Mayo 15 for the match.
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✒️ Mayo v Cavan - H2H Stats
Mayo v Cavan meetings have been sparse, to say the least, in recent years, both in League and Championship. The two counties met in the group stages of the 2024 Championship and have played twice in the National Football League over the past 10 years. Over those three matches, Mayo leads the Mayo v Cavan All Ireland H2H stats, 2-1. The two sides also met in the 1948 All-Ireland Final, with Cavan emerging victorious that day on a scoreline of 4-5 – 4-4.
Liam Lacey
Liam is a sportswriter from County Laois in Ireland who specializes in delivering content on GAA and Football matters (though he does see himself as somewhat of a tennis aficionado also!). Liam has written about All Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships, Premier League, Champions League and International Football offering expert opinion and match previews and predictions. Occasionally even getting some right!