Pat Spillane’s verdict on Sunday’s big SFC quarter-final showdowns

Croke Park, 1.15. Live on RTÉ 1

Louth are in bonus territory, contesting an All-Ireland quarter-final for the first time. They have improved considerably since Ger Brennan took over from Mickey Harte as manager.

They defend as a 15-man unit, but it is the disciplined nature of their defence that stands out. For example, they didn't concede a single scoreable free to Cork and only conceded nine scores from play.

Their game management is excellent as well, as evidenced by their performance against Dublin in the Leinster final. They rarely took the ball into the tackle, thus minimising the risk of turnovers.

Throw in the fact Sam Mulroy and Conor Grimes are in the running for All-Star nominations, while Craig Lennon has scored 4-6 from wing-back, and it becomes more obvious why they have reached this stage of the race for Sam.

The good news for Louth fans is that, having written them off all season, I am not going to change my tune now.

I think Donegal got the wake-up call they needed against Cork. They have regrouped and got their mojo back.

Their fitness, physicality, athleticism and ability to counter-attack at speed are all key pluses. Like Kerry, their defence carries a big scoring threat. Between them, six Donegal defenders have scored 1-15 in the championship.

Throw in the enormous influence of Jimmy McGuinness and they look on course for the semi-finals.

It won't be straightforward. It will probably take them a long time to break down the Louth defensive cover. I expect them to put big pressure on Louth's kick-outs.

Ultimately, they have players capable of by-passing the Louth blanket and kicking the ball over the bar from distance.

Verdict: Donegal

Kerry v Derry

Croke Park, 3.15. RTÉ 1

A repeat of last year's All-Ireland semi-final, this is the match of the weekend by a distance.

One question I cannot answer is how their contrasting paths to the last eight will impact on their performances.

Kerry are the only team left in the championship with a 100 per cent record, but they haven't been road-tested, which may be a liability.

Derry most certainly have been road-tested. This is their third game in 14 days and, of course, we know how close they came to being eliminated.

The question now is whether their exertions against Westmeath, and particularly their extra-time drama against Mayo, will leave them fatigued coming down the straight today.

Still, I imagine Derry will arrive full of confidence. They will take encouragement from last year's semi-final when they were leading by two points with five minutes of normal time to go.

And don't forget they beat Kerry in the first round of the league in Tralee.

They have regrouped after dismal performances against Donegal, Galway and Armagh.

They showed good character against Westmeath and were very impressive in the first half against Mayo and again at the end of normal time when they eked out a draw.

Key players like Brendan Rogers, Conor Glass, Gareth McKinless and Ciaran McFaul look back on form, while Lachlan Murray was outstanding against Mayo.

They have the potential to hurt Kerry at midfield. Rogers and Glass love to go forward, whereas Kerry's midfielders, Joe O'Connor and Diarmuid O'Connor, are not defensively-minded players.

Another worry for Kerry is the threat Derry pose when they counter-attack. It is not in the DNA of the Kerry forwards to track back.

McFaul and McKinless, together with Conor McCluskey and Eoin McEvoy, are powerful runners. I imagine they will attempt to exploit the fact that Tony Brosnan and Paul Geaney may struggle to match them for pace up and down the field.

Though Kerry haven't been road-tested, they have done all that was asked of them so far, albeit against teams that will not be playing in Division 1 next season. They scored 2-21 against Louth, for example.

I worry about the lack of impact from the bench – three points in the last five games. Given how soft their Sam Maguire group was, I imagine they have targeted this game for a long time.

They have won their last three championship ties by 10, 15 and 14 points, respectively. Their defenders are chipping in with big scores.

Tom O'Sullivan is the team's joint top point scorer from play with 0-10. They have started scoring goals again – four in the last two games – and I imagine they will target Derry's roaming goalkeeper Odhrán Lynch.

I believe they will have learned from last year's semi-final in which they fell over the line. They know more about what makes Derry tick now.

There is more variety to their play and, whisper it, we could finally see David Clifford produce his first big performance of the season.

​Verdict: Kerry