Dublin manager Jim Gavin knows just what to expect from Donegal.

The teams will meet in an eagerly-awaited All-Ireland SFC semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday and the Dublin manager accepts that it won't be easy to penetrate the Ulster champions' mass defence:

"Donegal have been working with Jim [McGuinness] for the last four years on their system and defensively, we know they are very slick and very difficult to break down," he notes in The Irish Times.

"They are familiar now with the patterns of play and positions they should be in in his defensive system and are very competent at playing it. It's very difficult for any team to break down and they've demonstrated that again this year.

"Going forward they are very impressive. They play traditional Donegal running style and are very comfortable with that.

"But they can also use the long ball if required and have some big threats up front and can punish teams if they are not marked tightly. So all around it will be an intriguing game."

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