Team captain Diarmuid O’Connor is also making progress from a broken wrist, which he sustained in training five weeks ago. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Paddy Durcan and Keith Higgins are both in line to return to the Mayo team for their winner-takes-all Super 8s clash with Donegal at MacHale Park on Saturday.

Higgins missed Mayo's last outing against Meath while Durcan has been out since the Galway qualifier contest, but the expectation is that they will both have recovered in time for the weekend's most important game. With three days to go, Higgins is the most likely to start.

Team captain Diarmuid O'Connor is also making progress from a broken wrist, which he sustained in training five weeks ago and has taken him out of much of the championship so far, and could also feature at some stage in Castlebar.

Matthew Ruane, the midfielder who lit up the latter stages of the league, continues to make progress with a collarbone injury, but time may be against him to be involved.

Donegal have their own injury problems with Paddy McGrath missing the last two games as a result of a calf injury, but he too is close to a comeback while Neil McGee, who missed the Super 8s encounter with Kerry due to injury, is also on course for a return.

Donegal are without Eoghan Bán Gallagher for the season after he broke an ankle and can ill-afford to have any other defensive absentees.

Mayo will be hoping to set aside an indifferent MacHale Park record where they have lost in Connacht this year to Roscommon, having lost to Galway there twice in three years.

Irish Independent