The omens are there (Roscommon haven't played in a minor "nal since 1951, the last time Mayo won the senior title), and the romance is there (31 counties will be hoping the Connacht champions can bridge a 55-year gap). But omens and romance rarely make a person rich. And no higher force is going to guide Mayo to glory this afternoon. But the facts are these.

Mayo are deserving of odds far closer to 6-4.

Kerry do deserve to be marginal favourites but have depended on huge performances from mid"elder Darragh O Se and full-forward Kieran Donaghy to get them this far. Mayo's mid"eld have been the pairing of the summer and management is likely to bolster it in an attempt to cut off the supply to Donaghy at source. Starting Kerry forwards Colm Cooper and Declan O'Sullivan have had subdued seasons while their opposite numbers have sparkled. All the soundings coming from the Mayo camp have indicated a different mentality, a new resolve and what appears to have been an unusually low-key build up. Odds of close to three to one on David Heaney (right) accepting Sam are too big to ignore.

BACK CHELSEA AND LIVERPOOL
TO DRAW 0-0 TODAY 8-1 Odds quoted are from Betfair
There's probably a good reason why the clash of the Premiership champions and England's most recent European champions is acting as the undercard for a pair of has-beens as part of Sky's Super Sunday this afternoon. While the whiff of sulphur has been getting stronger between these two in recent times, the quality of the games has failed to live up to the blossoming rivalry. Rafa Benitez certainly seems to have the measure of Jose Mourinho, and while his side enter this game as overwhelming underdogs, they should have enough about them to frustrate a Chelsea side who have yet to truly settle despite decent results. Three of the past eight meetings between these sides have been scoreless and with early-season contests traditionally cagy affairs, an interest in 0-0 should maintain some interest if nothing else does.

Where the money wasn't. . .
TIGER WOODS TO BEAT SHAUN MICHEEL IN THE WORLD MATCH PLAY 1.07 (Betfair)
Woeful matchplay form, or a cunning ruse by the Yanks to give Europe a false sense of security heading into next week's Ryder Cup? Either way, Thursday's action at Wentworth had golf correspondents thumbing their thesauruses looking up the word 'carnage' as Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk tumbled out of the tournament in the opening round. Woods was backed at less than 1-10 while Furyk was matched at 1-4 before losing to Robert Karlsson.