In this post, we bring you a Derry v Donegal prediction plus all the odds as we preview this highly anticipated Ulster Championship clash.
How To Watch Derry v Donegal
When is Derry v Donegal?
Derry v Donegal will throw in at 6.15 pm on Saturday, April 20th.
TV Channel
Derry v Donegal will be broadcast live on both RTÉ2 and BBC Two.
Live Stream
On the island of Ireland, you can stream Derry v Donegal live on the RTÉ Player.
Overseas the game can be streamed on GAAGo with a subscription or by purchasing access to stream the game.
Where is Derry v Donegal Being Played?
This match will be played in Celtic Park in Derry as Derry are the designated home team.
Derry v Donegal Odds
Team | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Derry | 1/3 | 75% |
Donegal | 10/3 | 23.1% |
Draw | 15/2 | 11.8% |
Derry are heavy favourites at odds of 1/3 to win this match.
Donegal are the 10/3 underdogs to pull off an upset win.
You can back the draw after 70 minutes at odds of 15/2.
Handicap Betting
Derry: -3 @ 10/11
Donegal: +3 @ 21/20
Handicap Draw: -3 @ 17/2
In the handicap betting Derry are 3-point favourites meaning that you can back Derry to win this game by 4 points or more at 10/11.
Bet on the Derry v Donegal at BoyleSports
Derry v Donegal Preview
Team News
Derry Team News
Derry have yet to announce their squad for this game. We will update here when the squad announcement is made.
Donegal Team News
Donegal have yet to announce their squad for this game. We will update here when the squad announcement is made.
Derry’s Form
It is fair to say that Derry are the form team in the country at the moment.
After a strong year in 2023 which saw them make it to the Division 2 League Final, win another Ulster Championship, and be narrowly beaten by Kerry in an All-Ireland Semi-Final, they must be considered true contenders for Sam Maguire.
This spring Derry were impressive en route to booking their place in the Division 1 Final. They won 6 of 7 games in the round-robin stage of the competition, with their lone loss coming against Dublin in a game that they didn’t field their strongest team for.
In the Division 1 Final, they faced Dublin in a rematch of last year’s Division 2 Final. The Dubs blitzed them in the second half of that game but there was to be no repeat this time around as the Oak Leaf County went toe-to-toe with Dessie Farrell’s men for 90+ minutes. The teams couldn’t be separated with the scores level at the end of extra-time; Dublin 2-21 Derry 3-18. Derry would then prevail on penalties to lift the league title.
Given the form of Mickey Harte’s men they are more than deserving of the tag of strong favourites for this game.
Donegal’s Form
One of the big storylines coming into this season was the return of Jim McGuinness as Donegal manager. McGuinness is of course the man who coached his county to All-Ireland success in 2012 and a further final in 2014.
Jimmy has been winning matches in his return as Donegal were crowned Division 2 Champions a couple of weeks ago. They were unbeaten in the round-robin phase of the league with 6 wins and 1 draw. That draw came against their Division 2 Final opponents Armagh.
In the decider little separated the two Ulster teams but Donegal did just enough to win out on a scoreline of Donegal 0-15 Armagh 0-14.
The nature of Donegal’s dominance in Division 2 will have them riding high going into this game. The big question however is the step up in class from playing Division 2 opposition to playing the Division 1 champions and back-to-back Ulster title winners.
Derry v Donegal Prediction
Prediction: Derry 2-13 Donegal 0-12
I am predicting that Derry will win this game relatively comfortably. They are the form team in the country right now and have been the team to beat in Ulster for the last 2 years.
More to the point, this Derry team is at their peak right now and have all the ingredients needed to win an All-Ireland this summer. Donegal, on the other hand, are early in their cycle with Jim McGuinness in his first season (of his second stint) and I don’t see them being serious players in the latter half of the summer.
On top of all this, you have home advantage in Derry’s favour in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd. The signs point to Derry for this one but if Donegal can pull off the upset then we may have to put them in the category of true All-Ireland contenders.
Best Bet: Derry -3 @ 10/11
Bet on the Derry v Donegal at BoyleSports
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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