Monaghan v Mayo: Preview & Odds | All-Ireland Football Championship
| Timetable | 31st May, 16:00 GMT |
| Prediction | Mayo To Win! |
| Odds | |
| Bookmaker | Lunubet Sports |
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Mayo travel to Clones to take on Monaghan in an All Ireland SFC round 1 clash on Sunday, May 31st, at 16:00 GMT.
In our preview to the big match below, we will show you the latest Monaghan v Mayo betting odds as well as give you our own Monaghan v Mayo prediction.
🎈 Monaghan vs Mayo Prediction
This looks like a tough match to call, but our Monaghan v Mayo All-Ireland SFC prediction is for a Mayo win to get their 2026 championship season back on track.
Gabriel Bannigan’s Monaghan team will arrive at Clones with much more momentum than their Connacht rivals despite losing the Ulster final after extra time. That is because they showed great resilience and skill to beat Cavan and Derry to reach the Ulster decider, despite enduring a horrific league campaign where they got relegated without picking up a single point. They seem to play their best football when they are written off in the championship, however, and Monaghan fans will hope that is the case yet again in Clones as they will go into this match with Mayo as underdogs yet again.
Mayo, for their part, really need a win to erase the pain of that Roscommon loss. They were fancied by many to beat Roscommon but suffered a 10-point loss to their near-neighbours. Before that Roscommon match, Mayo fans would have felt happy enough with their team. They looked freer in an attacking sense, with their kick-passing game looking effective, as well as their 2-point threat increasing exponentially from where it was last year.
The Roscommon loss did highlight areas that Monaghan can target, however. Their kick-out strategy was completely wiped out by Roscommon as they conceded score after score in that second half. They also didn’t seem capable of stemming the Roscommon momentum in that match, and against Monaghan, who have been momentum-driven this season, that could be dangerous. Mayo used to be the side that relied on bursts of energy and momentum, and if they show signs of that again, we could be in for a classic in Clones.
Monaghan will look to carry the energy from their Ulster run into the match against Mayo, and if Mayo allow Monaghan to build, they could be in danger. Likewise, the same could be said of Mayo. If they can build momentum, are Monaghan capable of stopping them?
We could be in for a match full of momentum swings and attacking football, and if we are, it’s hard to see anyone complaining.
OUR PREDICTION: MAYO TO WIN
🎯 Monaghan vs Mayo Betting Odds
Despite their ten-point loss to Roscommon in their Connacht semi-final, Mayo are still slight favourites to beat Monaghan when we look at the latest Monaghan v Mayo betting odds ahead of their meeting on May 31st.
Andy Moran’s team can be backed at around 1.67 with BoyleSports, while the home side, Monaghan, are currently priced at around 2.65 with DirectionBet.
The draw is currently available at around 9.00, with the winner of the match moving forward into round 2A. The loser will go into round 2B.
Below you can see the latest Monaghan v Mayo odds with some of the best online sportsbooks around.
⚡ Monaghan v Mayo Betting Tips
At this stage of our Monaghan v Mayo All-Ireland SFC prediction page we are going to highlight three Monaghan v Mayo betting tips that will hopefully bring some success for those looking to bet on the match or those with any free bets to use.
Remember, before having a go at any of our Monaghan v Mayo best bets, take a look at our bookmaker reviews page. Here, extra information about many of our best betting sites can be found.
- Tip 1: Mayo to Win: It’s hard to back Mayo with any great confidence in this Round 1 meeting with Monaghan, but we do think they will get the job done in the end. That loss to Roscommon should spur Andy Moran’s team into a response, and the travelling Mayo supporters will hope it is a positive one in Clones on May 31st. If it is, they should be capable of getting past a Monaghan team that they beat by 19 points when they met in the National League back in February.
To back Mayo to win, you can currently get a price of 1.67 with BoyleSports.
- Tip 2: Ryan O’Donoghue to score a goal anytime If Mayo are to move on from the Roscommon match, they are going to need most of their big players to stand up and be counted in Clones, and for Mayo, they don’t come much bigger these days than Ryan O’Donoghue. The Belmullet man is the leader of the Mayo forward line, and if he can play well, Mayo will stand a good chance of getting over the line. He hit a goal in that loss to Roscommon, and if Moran can get him operating in tandem with the likes of Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne, Mayo will have a forward threat capable of beating Monaghan.
- Tip 3: Mayo to win by 1-3 points: Given the fact that we are unsure of both teams ahead of this match, it might be best to side with a narrow win for whichever team you fancy. We think that Mayo will put that Roscommon defeat to the back of their minds with a narrow win over Monaghan, but only after a close battle with their Ulster opponents. Any win will probably do for Mayo at this stage, and we think a 1-3 point win looks the logical bet in this one, which will book Andy Moran’s team a place in Round 2A.
If you agree, you can currently get a price of 4.33 with BoyleSports on Mayo leaving Clones with a narrow win.
🧨 Monaghan Squad Form
Gabriel Bannigan’s team have salvaged some respect in themselves with their Ulster Championship showings even if their Ulster final ultimately ended in defeat to Armagh after extra time. They displayed courage and no little skill in bringing a well-fancied Armagh side to extra time, though, as they did in the semi-final when they came back from 10 points down to beat Derry in extra time. How they cope with the comedown after that Ulster final may determine how fresh and hungry they will be for this meeting with Mayo.
🥇 Mayo Squad Form
A lot of soul searching will have been done in Mayo after their hammering by Roscommon in their Connacht semi-final back on April 26th. The second half in particular will have worried their manager Andy Moran, but one advantage is they have had plenty of time to iron out some problems they faced against the Rossies. What he does in goal and in midfield will be interesting considering that they were wiped out by Roscommon at kick-out time, while how best to integrate the newer players with some of the old guard seems to be a bit of a dilemma for the Mayo manager.
🔮 Monaghan vs Mayo Predicted Lineups
This is the opening match in the All-Ireland series for both Monaghan and Mayo this year. Monaghan showed tremendous guts and ability to take Armagh to extra time in the Ulster final in their last outing, while for Mayo, 5 weeks will have passed between this game and their horror show against Roscommon in the Connacht semi-final.
Below are the starting teams that both sides put out in their last matches.
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🎰 Monaghan vs Mayo - H2H Stats
It’s difficult to gauge any Monaghan v Mayo H2H record because this is not a match we are used to seeing in the championship. There has only been one clash between the sides in the championship, and that came in 2022 when they met in the first round of the old All-Ireland qualifiers.
Below you can see a summary of their only championship meeting.
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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!