Galway footballers will be red-hot favourites at Pearse Stadium on Sunday where Leitrim will provide the penultimate obstacle in the county's quest for a 44th Connacht football title and a first since 2005.

ON FORM... Matthew Clancy – pictured here tussling for possession with Mayo's Colm Boyle in a recent National League clash – will hope to prove his fitness ahead of Galway's Connacht semi-final with Leitrim on Sunday. Photo: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE

Liam Sammon's side should be full of confidence after an emphatic first-round defeat of Roscommon, where they ran up an impressive tally of 2-16 without ever really having to get out of second gear. Matthew Clancy and substitute Niall Coleman were the goalscorers and Clancy's was probably the standout performance in a forward-line that linked well throughout.

Leitrim were far too strong for New York in their championship opener played in Gaelic Park in the Big Apple. Emlyn Mulligan was the principle forward threat for Leitrim, shooting eleven points in a sparkling display. Declan Maxwell also impressed in attack.

While their Division Four league status will condemn Leitrim to the Tommy Murphy Cup if they are beaten on Sunday, recent displays against the Tribesmen will give Dessie Dolan's side plenty of belief that they can retain an interest in the championship.

Peter Ford's side were hanging on for long periods in the second half of last year's Connacht semi-final clash in Carrick-on-Shannon and it took a fine six-point haul from Nicky Joyce to ultimately condemn Leitrim to an eighth successive defeat at the hands of Galway.

It's likely to be a game of contrasting styles on Sunday with Leitrim expected to employ their usual short-passing game while Sammon has encouraged Galway to use a more traditional, direct approach, with greater emphasis on accurate foot-passing.

The Galway manager should have a strong panel to choose from when he names his line-up this week. Diarmuid Blake and Sean Armstrong proved their fitness in recent club fixtures and will be pushing for a starting place, while Darren Mullahy made up for his disappointment at missing out against Roscommon by shooting 1-5 for Milltown in their championship win over Barna.

On the injury front, Matthew Clancy, Niall Coyne and Kieran Fitzgerald are carrying knocks but all should be ready in time for Sunday.

The semi-final clash will be shown live on RTE 2 with a throw-in time of 2pm.

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