When the sides met in the league Louth were 13-point winners but they also lost to a Leitrim side that Carlow beat. It is however likely that the teams' previous meeting will prove to be the more accurate barometer of what can be expected.

Colin Kelly has been pointing out that when Louth won Division Three in 2011, Carlow dumped them out of the championship a couple of weeks later but there was a sense about the county's Division Four final win over Antrim that Kelly has timed well the team's run.

What was impressive at Croke Park was how the attack with Jim McEneaney impressive managed to take an up until then parsimonious Antrim defence for three goals. Carlow don't have a particularly impregnable look about them.

LOUTH: Craig Lynch; Padraig Rath, Patrick Reilly, Kevin Toner; Derek Maguire, Darran McMahon, Anthony Williams; James Stewart, James Califf; Declan Byrne, Jim McEneaney, Conal McKeever; Bevan Duffy, Conor Grimes, Ryan Burns.
CARLOW: Robbie Molloy; Brendan Kavanagh, Daniel St Ledger, Kieran Nolan; Gary Kelly, John Murphy, Hughie Gahan; Brendan Murphy, Seán Gannon; Darren Lunney, Darragh O'Brien, Alan Kelly; Paul Broderick, Darragh Foley, Chris Blake. Subs: Craig Kearney, Danny Moran, Ed Finnegan, Brian Murphy, Graham Power, Donal Smithers, Henry Hegarty, Andy O'Brien, Brian Cawley, Paul O'Halloran, Cathal Bailey. Referee: N Mooney (Cavan). Last meeting: 2011 Leinster quarter-final, also at Portlaoise Carlow 0-14, Louth 0-13. Odds: Louth 1/5, Carlow 7/1 and 16/1 the draw. Just the ticket: See Laois v Wicklow. Verdict: Louth to win.