Today is an important day in all four divisions of the Allianz League, but none more so than in Division 1 where are a number of teams are either fighting against relegation or aiming for a semi-final spot.

Today’s fixtures are:

Cork v Mayo

Down v Kildare

Tyrone v Kerry

Donegal v Dublin 

At this stage, Dublin, Tyrone and Kildare know they are on their way to the semi-finals. The only thing the three teams are not aware of, is who they will face in the last four.

Due to their enormous point difference (+41), if Dublin beat Donegal they will almost certainly face the fourth placed team in the table in the semis – currently Cork - while Tyrone and Kildare would meet in the other semi.

However if Mayo were to beat Cork at Pairc Ui Rinn, then it would be the Connacht side that would leapfrog the Rebels into fourth – provided Donegal do not beat Dublin and outscore Mayo in one fell swoop.

But a Cork win or draw would eliminate Mayo and Donegal from the reckoning – and could even see the Munster men go third if Conor Counihan’s men pick up a victory and Kildare lose away to Down.

Tyrone can also jump ahead of Dublin but they would need Jim Gavin’s men to lose to Donegal, while the Red Hand County would also need a positive result or a draw against Kerry.

Conversely a heavy defeat to Kerry in Omagh, coupled with a sizeable Kildare win, could see Tyrone slip down to third.

Donegal require a win in Ballybofey to reach the semi-finals and also to secure survival. However, if Jim McGuinness’ side beat the Dubs, they would still need to outscore Mayo by at least two points, while at the same time, hoping that Mayo beat Cork.

Kerry are almost certain to miss out on a semi-final place. They would need to hope that Cork lose to Mayo, while also requiring at least a 20 point turnaround away to Tyrone which looks a tall order despite the Kingdom’s improved form and the returns of Colm ‘The Gooch’ Cooper and Paul Galvin to the fray.

Relegation battle

But Kerry will definitely finish bottom if they lose to Tyrone and Down beat Kildare at home. Even a Kerry win would not necessarily avoid a place in the bottom two as wins for Mayo and Donegal would almost certainly see Kerry relegated due to their poor points difference of minus 21.

But if Donegal and Mayo were to lose, coupled with a Kerry win, Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s team would move up to fifth and safety. In that case it would come down to the points difference between Mayo and Donegal for the final relegation spot.

They would almost certainly join Down in Division 2 next season. The Mourne Men face a tall order to even finish seventh and still get relegated. They would require a very handsome victory over Kildare to even give themselves a glimmer of hope. If Down are to survive, they would need to hope that Mayo, Donegal and Kerry suffer very heavy defeats – a combination of results that is unlikely to occur.