Whereas you can never really tell, this Bank of Ireland Leinster semi-final doesn't exactly promise a banquet of exhilarating football. Offaly's coup against All-Ireland champions Meath was a combination of brilliantly devised tactics, ruthlessly executed, and clinical finishing in attack by Vinny Claffey and Colm Quinn. The suffocation of Meath's central sector by tight marking and insatiable snapping-up of breaking ball was as functionally effective as Meath's destruction of Offaly two years previously.

Kildare's eventual victory over Louth was laboured and at times smacked of desperation. Not greatly impressive, maybe, but there was a specific context to the match. Paddy Clarke, Louth's manager, felt that Kildare were inhibited by the experiences of 1991 and '95 when they suffered surprise defeats by Louth.

In the event, Kildare did well to come from behind at the end of a match which seemed to be slipping beyond them as they squandered chance after chance. The conclusive penalty may have been controversial, but it would have been a bankable free in any case.

Both teams are coping with suspension. Ciaran McManus serves out his two months tomorrow, while Brian Lacey misses out for Kildare - the difference being that Offaly have coped with the loss already and Claffey's form accentuates Lacey's absence.

This match is a real toss-up, but there a few reasons why Kildare may be the better bet. Look at the critical aspects of Offaly's remarkable performance three weeks ago: control of the congested area between the 40s and the exceptional contributions of Claffey and Quinn.

The defusing of Trevor Giles's usual influence was another important influence, but it was achieved through a combination of impressively focused man-marking, crowding of the sector and the poor form of John McDermott, who usually creates the space for Giles to exploit.

Kildare's centrefield combines the fielding capacity of Martin Lynch - intermittently - and Dermot Earley and the breaks of Willie McCreery. It will be a more varied challenge than Meath's below-par pairing - particularly with McManus suspended.

Similarly, on the breaks, John Finn, Glen Ryan and Anthony Rainbow are far more formidable than Meath's weakened half-back line. In attack, Claffey will pose big problems for Ken Doyle if he can maintain the standards set on an admittedly less-than-fit Mark O'Reilly against Meath. There is also the question of motivation. Offaly had the advantage of lining Meath up in their sights ever since the draw was made. This will be a different type of challenge and a hard one for Offaly to approach at as high a pitch. Kildare started the last day more slowly and more surely. They picked up a result that is satisfying but leaves room for improvement.

The match lies in the balance between how much Kildare will improve and the extent to which Offaly can maintain performance levels. The view here is that the graphs will cross.