Mark Poland is set to choose the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev over Pairc Esler on May 26.

The recently-retired Down star is an avid Liverpool supporter and hopes to travel to the Ukrainian capital for their Champions League final against Real Madrid, which means he will miss the Mourne County's Ulster SFC quarter-final against Antrim, which is taking place in Newry at the same time.

"I was in Liverpool at the weekend (for their Premier League match against Stoke) and there's a chance I could be going to Kiev, me and a friend," he revealed to the Irish News.

"My brother is on the Down panel, but at the moment he has an injury and he won't be playing. I hadn't thought about the dates too much, but if this works out - there's no option. I think I'll be making that flight.

"The Stoke match wasn't that exciting, but the atmosphere in the city was amazing. It's like Down getting to the All-Ireland final, it creates this buzz."

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