"In Kerry this week there won't be any over-confidence."

Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Kerry face a potential banana skin in the form of Kildare in tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.

"Everyone will be saying this is a game where we have to be very careful. We really have to bring our A-game, and, if we don't, we'll be beaten," Fitzmaurice warned.

"I've said it before and it's fairly black and white to me: If we play like we can play it will take a good team to beat us, but if we're off against a team like Kildare, this time next week we won't have to be worrying about any more press conferences."

The reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions enter the last eight contest as odds-on favourites but they will face a Kildare team brimming with confidence courtesy of last Saturday's 1-21 to 1-13 victory over Cork.

Captain Eamonn Callaghan has recovered from a shoulder injury so it came as no surprise when manager Jason Ryan and his selectors announced they were keeping faith with the same team for the clash with the Kingdom.

It has been some turnaround for the Leinster outfit following their relegation to Division 3 and Leinster SFC semi-final hammering at the hands of Dublin.

"We were waiting a long time for a win against a Division I team," Ryan remarked.

"The week around the Dublin game was really, really tough so it is just massive to get that. I am really proud of how they organised themselves.

"You can say whatever you want from the sideline but very often players don't necessarily hear it. So it is the players on the field, they make the decisions, they carry out the play."

Verdict - Kerry.

Kerry team: B Kealy; M Ó Sé, A O'Mahony, S Enright; J Lyne, K Young, Paul Murphy; A Maher, D Moran; D Walsh, B Sheehan, S O'Brien; P Geaney, K Donaghy, J O'Donoghue.

Kildare team: Mark Donnellan; Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Mick O'Grady, Ollie Lyons; Kevin Murnaghan, Eoin Doyle, Emmet Bolton; Tommy Moolick, Paul Cribbin; Eoghan O Flaherty, Niall Kelly, Padraig O Neill; Eamonn Callaghan, Alan Smith, Cathal McNally.

Match details: Sunday; Croke Park; 2pm.

Referee: David Coldrick.

Odds: Kerry 1/7; Draw 14/1; Kildare 11/2.

Tweet

Most Read Stories