Limerick v Galway preview: Tribesmen will need dramatic improvement to pull off shock in All-Ireland semi-final

On paper it seems a foregone conclusion.

The three-in-a row chasers, unbeaten in 14 consecutive championship games since 2019 against a side that may have peaked against Kilkenny in Salthill two months ago.

After two underwhelming performances, Galway fans will be travelling to Croke Park with hope, Limerick's with expectation.

Henry Shefflin's side were bottled up by the Cats in the Leinster decider and stumbled over the line against Cork in the quarter-finals.

The hope comes from the possibility that the provincial final defeat was just an off day - only 17/36 shots converted - and the fact that they showed great grit to keep their noses in front throughout against the Rebels, who were almost as wasteful themselves (46% scoring accuracy) in Thurles.

Galway had a big stroke of fortune with their opening goal against Cork though and cannot rely as much today on Conor Whelan being consistently able to score from impossible angles.

The Tribesmen have long been considered the closest match to Limerick in terms of brawn and that remains the case.

Until Clare's recent draw with the champions in Munster, Galway's three-point loss in the bruising 2020 All-Ireland semi-final was the closest anyone had got to John Kiely's juggernaut since they fell to Kilkenny in 2019.

The problem is that the Treaty also have pace, and Galway looked leggy against hard-running Cork in the latter stages of the quarter-final. An arm-wrestle might suit Shefflin's side better today but then that's what they got against his native county and came out second best.

Besides, in the Munster final, Limerick showed that they can happily deal with an intense physical onslaught and still have plenty left for extra-time. They actually seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Galwa