Clare v Kilkenny: No matter what happens, Anthony Daly and Clare have salvaged something from the summer: a marquee date with a team for the ages represents a far cry from the immediate aftermath of their black championship opening afternoon against Waterford.

Requiems have been written for this Clare team for many seasons and yet they keep returning in more or less familiar guise, with the chiefs from the great years still in or around the team.

With Brian's season ruined by injury and Frank moonlighting as a forward, the absence of the Lohan name in the back division would be glaring. Daly may decide to avoid this, though, by starting Frank at full back.

Seánie McMahon will need to call on all his class and experience to handle the fiery Henry Shefflin, who was immense - the closest embodiment of Brian Cody's mindset - on the field against Galway.

It can be taken for granted Daly will have Clare, eh, motivated for this one.

It is probably equally true that the champions won't be preoccupied with waging a war of attrition.

If Kilkenny are fast out of the blocks, à la September 2002, they could be on their way.

Clare lack the speed and variety of shooters to employ the same methodology as Wexford used to unhinge Kilkenny. They need a big return from Colin Lynch and Seánie and again from Gilligan.

With his 2-7 against Offaly at the Gaelic Grounds, Niall announced a return to form and suddenly the presence of the wonderkid Tommy Walsh in Gilligan's sector of the field looks like a prescient move on Cody's part.

The burden on Gilligan is considerable and Clare also need big returns from Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody.

But on their great days, Clare often relied on an X factor, as in Eamonn Taaffe in 1995, and somebody is just going to have to step up if they are to take the champions to the wire.

Cody will be relieved when the focus switches to hurling again, although just to remind everyone he is his own man, he restores Pat Tennyson - out of favour since the Wexford shock - to the team in place of the injured Conor Phelan.

This is a tough game for Kilkenny, who surely cannot hurl with the same anger as they did against Galway.

The problem for them is that the pendulum of public opinion has swung again: they have gone from washed-up crocks back to unbeatable assassins. Form is never so clear-cut.

They aren't 19 points better than Galway and know it. If Clare can keep some sort of order on Shefflin, the onus falls on the other Kilkenny forwards to score.

Martin Comerford and DJ have had subdued afternoons of late and Brennan and Coogan really only danced at the wake down in Thurles.

But Croke Park is suited to the speed of both men and Kilkenny will be relieved to be back in that theatre.

The black and amber support should be much more evident than when last they played here.

For Davy Fitzgerald and company, this is a game that calls for a resurrection of all they stand for.

Bloody-minded and romantic, Clare won't bow down, but may ultimately be forced to kneel to time, form and superiority.