History tells us that Kerry should beat Galway this Sunday.
The Kingdom are perennial All Ireland contenders, have a serial All Ireland winning manager and in David Clifford boast one of the most talented footballers that the game has ever seen.
An eight year gap between All Ireland's is a famine for Kerry. God only knows what would happen to the Kingdom if they had a 21 year period without picking up Sam Maguire.
READ MORE: David Clifford is 'just a normal bloke' says former teammate
And when we look back at the Championship meetings between the two counties, Kerry have had a sizeable advantage down through the years. Galway have beaten Kerry just once since 1965 in the All Ireland, with the Kingdom winning seven and losing just once against the Tribesmen since then.
With all that being said, in Damien Comer and Shane Walsh Galway have two of the most lethal forwards in the country. Can they pull off a shock? Who knows.
Just two days away from the latest installment of the rivalry, now seems the perfect time to look back at some of the Championship battles down through the years.
2018 ‘Super 8s’: Galway 1-13 Kerry 1-10
The most recent game on the list and the only Galway win. 2018 marked the first time The Tribesmen beat Kerry in the All Ireland Championship since 1965.
That wasn't the only drought that was broken that day. This win also signalled the first time Galway came to Croke Park and won in the Championship since the 2001 final. Victories over Armagh and Derry this season suggest that the Croke Park curse has been broke.
In 2018, Galway were by far the better side as a young Kerry team failed to play to their fullest. Shane Walsh was the star and kicked Galway to victory, while a young David Clifford was a bright light for the Kingdom, ratcheting up 1-5.
2017 All-Ireland QF: Kerry 1-18 Galway 0-13
In truth, Kerry cruised past Galway in this one. For 70 minutes, Kerry dominated and led from start to finish.
Kieran Donaghy proved the star of the show and helped the Kingdom increase their stellar quarter-final record. The Austin stacks man scored 1-1 and terrorised the Galway full-back line throughout.
With this victory, it made it 15 wins in 17 quarter-final appearances for Kerry.
2014 All-Ireland QF: Kerry 1-20 Galway 2-10
In a wide open attacking contest, James O'Donohue fired Kerry to victory in the quarter-finals of the All Ireland championship.
O'Donohue scored an early goal as Kerry raced into a 1-5 to 0-0 lead and threatened to put the game to bed before it truly began. Galway showed serious character to fightback and when Thomas Flynn smashed home a wondergoal, the gap at the break was just five points.
And while Galway got an early second half goal to put Kerry to the pin of their collar, the Munster side held firm. O'Donohue and Paul Geaney were the stars, scoring 1-9 between them.
2008 All-Ireland QF: Kerry 1-21 Galway 1-16
In the first ever floodlit Championship match at Croke Park, Kerry edged out Galway on a dull and dreary day in HQ.
Galway threw the kitchen sink at Kerry, with star man Michael Meehan notching 10 points.
But The Kingdom put on a shooting masterclass of their own, with Bryan Sheehan, Tommy Walsh and Colm Cooper scoring 13 points between them to go with Donnchadh Walsh's goal.
Padraic Joyce captained Galway that day and will lead the Tribesmen into another final this time as manager this Sunday.
2002 All-Ireland QF: Kerry 2-17 Galway 1-12
Kerry went through the unfamiliar route of the qualifiers back in 2002, and it stood to them when they came up against the reigning All Ireland Champions.
Galway hadn't played a game for five weeks and that rustiness was evident as Kerry's youthful side including future legends like Colm Cooper and Darragh O Sé wreaked havoc throughout.
Even though Galway played quite poor they only found themselves three points down heading into the final 10 minutes of the game. Yet they never looked like winning, and when Aodhan MacGearailt stabbed home a late goal, the writing was on the wall for the Tribesmen.
2000 All-Ireland final Replay: Kerry 0-17 Galway 1-10
Two weeks earlier, the two sides played out a 14-point apiece thriller at Croke Park. An early seven point lead for Kerry was chipped away at by Galway and in the end, a late Padraic Joyce score levelled the game and set us up for a replay two weeks later.
On October 7th 2000 the replay took place. And in a repeat of the drawn game, Kerry made the better start and led by three points at half time.
Some nerves crept into The Kingdom's second half play as they hit six wides in twelve minutes. However Galway, who were badly impacted by an injury sustained by Kevin Walsh in the first half, just couldn't get close enough. In the end Kerry won by four points.
Kerry have definitely had the better of Galway down through the years. However, Galway's victory in their last championship meeting four years ago will certainly give The Tribesmen cause for optimism.
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