By Shaun Casey

WHAT a difference a year makes. When these teams paired off in the first round of the Ulster Championship 12 months ago at Celtic Park, Donegal were the plucky underdogs and Derry were the bookies’ favourites.

Sure, with Jim McGuinness back in the dugout, Donegal always had that puncher’s chance, but Derry were flying it. Never mind the first round of the championship, the Oakleafers were hotly tipped as the top contenders for All-Ireland glory

Derry, managed by Mickey Harte, had just claimed the Division One league title via penalties after a fascinating encounter with Dublin at Croke Park and were chasing a third Anglo Celt title in a row. But everything wasn’t as it seemed.

In these very pages last April, Gaelic Life issued a word of warning ahead of the contest. “On paper and looking at form, Derry are generous favourites for Saturday. At first glance, there is a case.

“But there is an itch. It’s Donegal. With Jim McGuinness, it will demand Derry’s respect. It’s championship. It’s a one off. This one will go all the way.”

Ultimately, we tipped Derry, just like everyone else in the country did. But this time around, you’d do very well to find a single person that believes Derry stand any chance of overturning Donegal on Sunday afternoon.

The Derry wheels really fell off after that 4-11 to 0-17 defeat and although they reached the last eight of the All-Ireland series, Derry did suffer four championship defeats inside one season.

From the Derry team that started against Donegal last year, they are without the retired Chrissy McKaigue. Odhrán Lynch, Conor McCluskey and Brendan Rogers are all injured, as are Ciaran McFaul, Niall Loughlin and Lachlan Murray.

Add in Gareth McKinless, who will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, and Anton Tohill and Derry enduring an injury crisis. Their panel depth is a concern, so finding adequate replacements could be a struggle for Paddy Tally.

In terms of form, Derry have hit a dry spell. Really ever since that Donegal loss. Some of their performances in the league were pleasing, but with just one point on the board after seven outings, Tally’s side deservingly sunk to the bottom of the table.

Donegal, on the other hand, are on top of the world. They didn’t reach a league final, but they didn’t want to. When the Tir Chonaill men had enough points to ensure safety, McGuinness pulled up the handbrake. All the focus has been on Derry for the past number of weeks.

While Tally is without a large chunk of his team from last year’s championship opener, McGuinness will have two fresh options. Patrick McBrearty didn’t start that game while Michael Murphy has of course returned.

The Glenswilly giant could line out with the number 14 jersey on his back or he may well be a bit-part player in this championship but either way, Donegal would much rather have him to call upon should his impact be required.

And his impact so far has been huge. His first appearance in three years came in round three of the NFL against Armagh and with the gap just two points at the time of his arrival, he completely changed the game.

Armagh’s Aidan Forker was red carded just seconds after Murphy entered the field. The 2012 All-Ireland winning captain kicked 0-3 and displayed his unbelievable fetching ability around the middle of the park and they ended up winning by eight.

Should he start, Eoin McEvoy may pick him up but the Derry full-back could have his hands full. In a full-forward line containing Murphy, McBrearty and Oisín Gallen, where are Derry best to use their go-to man-marker?

What are the positives for Derry you may ask. Well they haven’t become a bad team overnight and during the league encounter with Donegal a month ago, they were well on top for large portions of the game, until Murphy turned the screw.

And while they’re missing plenty of key men, they have some of the best footballers in Ireland to call upon. Despite relegation, Conor Glass was one of the players of the league and put in plenty of eye-catching performances.

Shane McGuigan is still up there with the best in the business in terms of scoring potential, although Brendan McCole has got the better of him when they’ve lined up beside one another in recent times.

It would take a brave man to call against Donegal this weekend but in a two horse race, can anyone be overly confident about the result? The trajectory of both sides seem to be trending in much different directions.

Derry look like a sinking ship. Donegal are a powerhouse. McGuinness and Murphy didn’t just come back for a provincial prize, they have their eyes set on Sam. That journey starts on Sunday, and Donegal should open their account with a win.

Last time
2025 NFL Donegal 1-22 Derry 1-19
AS the game entered the final quarter, Derry looked to have done enough to secure their first win of the season which would have boosted their survival hopes Donegal finished with a flurry at Ballyshannon to edge the encounter. Jim McGuinness’ side rattled off 1-6 in a blistering final ten minutes to claim a three-point victory and guarantee their safety from relegation. Michael Murphy entered the fray at half time and set up Shane O’Donnell’s game-winning goal while it was Derry’s towering midfielder Conor Glass who struck the net at the other end of the field.

Donegal: S Patton; M Curran, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh 0-1, C McGonagle, C Moore 0-1; C Thompson 0-6 (1tpf, 1tp), H McFadden 0-1; S O’Donnell 1-1, N O’Donnell, D Ó Baoill 0-5 (1tp); C O’Donnell 0-3, O Gallen 0-3 (1tp), J Brennan
Subs: M Murphy 0-1 (1f) for N O’Donnell, O McFadden-Ferry for Curran, C McColgan for Brennan, E McHugh for McFadden, O Doherty for R McHugh

Derry: O Lynch; D Baker, E McEvoy 0-1, M Bradley; C Doherty 0-1, B Rogers, P McGrogan; C Glass 1-1, A Tohill; D Higgins, P Cassidy 0-2, E Doherty 0-1; N Loughlin 0-1, S McGuigan 0-6 (1tpf, 4f), L Murray 0-6 (2tp)
Subs: M Doherty for McEvoy, C McMonagle for Loughlin, D Cassidy for Rogers, P McGurk for McGrogan

Last five meetings
2025 NFL – Donegal 1-22 Derry 1-19
2024 USFC – Derry 0-17 Donegal 4-11
2024 McKenna Cup – Derry 0-12 Donegal 0-6
2023 All-Ireland SFC – Donegal 1-15 Derry 3-14
2022 USFC – Derry 1-16 Donegal 1-14

Season so far

DERRY
Tyrone 2-13 Derry 1-9
Derry 1-24 Kerry 5-15
Derry 0-16 Galway 1-13
Dublin 3-20 Derry 2-12
Donegal 1-22 Derry 1-19
Derry 1-17 Mayo 2-19
Armagh 4-24 Derry 1-18

DONEGAL
Donegal 0-20 Dublin 0-16
Kerry 1-18 Donegal 0-23
Donegal 0-21 Armagh 1-10
Galway 0-21 Donegal 0-14
Donegal 1-22 Derry 1-19
Donegal 0-19 Tyrone 0-25
Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16

Top scorers

DERRY
Shane McGuigan 1-34 (14f, 4tpf)
Conor Glass 3-18 (5tp, 2 45)
Paul Cassidy 0-12 (1tp)

DONEGAL
Dáire Ó Baoill 0-19 (6 tp)
Ciarán Thompson 0-15 (1 tp, 1 tpf, 1f)
Oisín Gallen 0-13 (2 tp, 3f)
Conor O’Donnell 0-13 (1f)

In this week’s Gaelic Lives podcast, Eamonn Burns and Kevin Cassidy look ahead to Sunday’s game in Ballybofey.