Mayo unchanged for Croke Park date
Mayo manager James Horan has stuck with a familiar formula for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Down at Croke Park (throw-in 5pm).
Mayo are set to line out as they did when beating Sligo to retain the Connacht title three weeks ago, with no starting place for fit-again midfielder Aidan O'Shea.
However, Horan may yet make a late switch as there has been speculation that the Breaffy clubman will play from the start - O'Shea lined out in a centre-field partnership with Barry Moran in a trial game last Sunday.
While O'Shea is currently absent from the starting line-up, Jason Gibbons, Aidan's brother Seamus O'Shea, Alan Freeman and Michael Conroy have also been kept in reserve.
The substitutes list has yet to be confirmed but Peadar Gardiner is expected to be fit after recovering from the foot problem that saw him miss the victory over Sligo.
Mayo and Down have already met this year but Saturday's duel in the capital represents the counties' first ever meeting on the Championship stage.
When they played each other in the Allianz League in Castlebar back in March, the Mourne men posted a 1-13 to 0-11 win.
Aidan O'Shea was sent-off as early as the ninth minute.
There are three changes to the Mayo team that contested the Division 1 final against Cork at Croke Park in April, with Danny Geraghty, Enda Varley and Jason Doherty starting in place of Jason Gibbons, Conor Mortimer and Michael Conroy respectively.
MAYO (SFC v Down): David Clarke; Kevin Keane, Ger Cafferkey, Keith Higgins; Lee Keegan, Donal Vaughan, Colm Boyle; Barry Moran, Danny Geraghty; Kevin McLoughlin, Cillian O'Connor, Alan Dillon; Enda Varley, Andy Moran (capt), Jason Doherty.
