A place in the Ulster semi-final is up for grabs on Sunday as Fermanagh travel to Ballybofey to take on Rory Gallagher’s Donegal side.
There’s no doubt that Donegal will go into this encounter as favourites but this could well prove to be the most competitive contest so far in what has been a one sided Ulster Championship to date.
It’s a big ask for Fermanagh to go to Ballybofey and come away with the win and Pete McGrath will know that they will have to get everything right on the day if they are to prevail.
But the Ernemen have the advantage of having had a championship game under their belts with their win over Antrim and they will travel to MacCumhaill Park quietly confident that they will provide a stern test for the Tir Chonaill men.
Donegal enter the championship on the back of a Division One league campaign that saw them reach the semi-finals where they were beaten by eventual winners Dublin.
However, Gallagher’s may have concerns that after a bright start to the league that saw them comfortably defeat Down and Cork before recording a two point win over Mayo, they have lost their last five games including that semi-final loss to the Dubs.
Certainly, a five game losing run is not the ideal way to go into the championship although Gallagher told The Impartial Reporter back in January that while he was keen to do well in the league this year, ultimately everything was built towards being ready for the championship and their opening game on June 12.
This, of course, is a championship hardened, experienced and quality Donegal outfit and having lost their provincial crown to Malachy O’Rourke’s Monaghan last season, they will be hungry to get back to the top in Ulster with O’Rourke and the Farneymen awaiting the winner in the last four. 
To get another crack at Monaghan though Donegal will have to get past Fermanagh and Gallagher will be aware that his native county have been taking positive strides forward in recent years and have enough about them to give his side plenty to think about on Sunday.
Fermanagh are a well drilled group at this stage and Gallagher will know that he will be faced with a disciplined side who will get numbers back and leave very little space for the Donegal attack to operate in.
He will also know that McGrath’s side are strong in the middle third with Eoin Donnelly one of the best midfielders in the province while defensively he will look to put the shackles on Fermanagh’s main scoring threats, Tomás Corrigan and Sean Quigley.
This though will be a step up from anything that Fermanagh will have come up against this season. 
Not only did Donegal operate in a league above Fermanagh, but let’s not forget that they won an All Ireland title in 2012, were in another final in 2014 and the key men from those games are still available for Gallagher to call on.
A quick look at the scoring records for both sides shows that Donegal have both scored more and conceded more since the start of the league.
Over their eight league games Donegal averaged just over 15 points for and just under 15 points against while Fermanagh’s averages for their league games and championship meeting against Antrim saw them score just under 13.5 points per game while conceding 12.5 points a game.
Fermanagh will need to restrict the Donegal attack and McGrath will be hoping that the system they have in place will aid with that, although it is easier said than done when faced with the quality of Michael Murphy, Paddy McBrearty and co. 
Talisman and captain Murphy and McBrearty contributed 1-33 each during the league campaign and are obviously massive threats to the Fermanagh defence. 
With both also deadly accurate from frees Fermanagh also need to remain disciplined in their tackling as any indiscretions are likely to be punished.
Donegal also carry a much greater goal-scoring threat having found the net eight times during the league although they also conceded seven goals.
In comparison, Fermanagh scored only two goals in the league while Sean Quigley also hit the net in the win over Antrim.
 However, they have conceded six goals although three of them came in the opening league game against Derry.
If Fermanagh can bag a goal or two and prevent Donegal from doing likewise then this game could get very interesting.
Defensively, Fermanagh are solid with the likes of Che Cullen, Marty O’Brien, James McMahon and Declan McCusker all important players for McGrath’s side.
The midfield battle will as always be crucial and Fermanagh are well stocked in this department. 
As already mentioned, Donnelly is a tower of strength in this areas and alongside either Richard O’Callaghan or Ryan Jones forms a formidable partnership although in Neil Gallagher and Rory Kavanagh Donegal have no shortage of power and guile in that sector. 
However, Gallagher is a doubt for Sunday and his loss would be a massive blow for the home team.
 It is that battle for possession in the middle third that will be a telling factor as both sides look to gain a control and give themselves a platform to get quality ball into their respective forward lines.
If Murphy and McBrearty are the go to men for scores for Donegal, it is Corrigan and Quigley who hold the same responsibility for Fermanagh. Corrigan has been superb throughout 2016 and is sure to be earmarked for some special treatment with Paddy McGrath the likely candidate to pick up the man marking duties while Quigley’s tussle with Neil McGee will be one of the decisive contests in the game. 
The Fermanagh attack can also expect to see plenty of yellow jerseys around them with Karl Lacey likely to be handed the sweeping role in front of his full back line.
Given that Corrigan and Quigley will be closely watched on Sunday, McGrath will need others to step up to the mark in terms of scores, in particular he will look to the likes of Paul McCusker, Ryan Jones and Ruairi Corrigan to keep the scoreboard. 
Likewise, Gallagher will want the likes of Kavanagh and Odhran MacNiallais to supplement the threat of Murphy and McBrearty while the likes of Colm McFadden and Christy Toye could be held in reserve.
Indeed, who comes off the bench and makes the biggest impact for either side could be vital with the modern game now a 20 man game.
Pete McGrath will accept that his side cannot afford to perform as they did in the second half of the game against Antrim because if they do then they will be in serious trouble.
The key for the Ernemen is to stay in the game and not let Donegal build an early advantage and grow in confidence. 
If Fermanagh are in contention as the second half progresses then they will grow in belief that they can take a result out of this game.
McGrath has, time and again, underlined his belief that his squad are good enough to take on the best in the country and that has started to seep through into the players.
 This Fermanagh team have proven in recent times that they are no pushovers for anybody and while they know it will be tough in Ballybofey, they won’t fear going there.
This won’t be the one sided affair that Ulster has thrown up in recent weeks.
Fermanagh will believe that if they can get their gameplan right and get a performance for 70 minutes then they won’t be far away when the final whistle is blown in Ballybofey on Sunday.