Managers are sometimes accused of playing down their teams' chances and talking up the opposition as the big match approaches. Well, a lot of supporters in the west have caught the habit if you are to listen to their opinions in advance of tomorrow's showdown in Castlebar. Mayo and Galway were both far from convincing in their semi-final victories so the respective fans are worried about their prospects.

Galway only scored one point in the very lacklustre first half against Roscommon and Mayo were left hanging on against Leitrim. They were held scoreless in the last 30 minutes of that match. One of the reasons Galway's attack was held was that they were wiped out in the middle of the field and got no decent possession up front. They were living on scraps.

There will be an edge and a few unusual dynamics to tomorrow's encounter. Galway have beaten Mayo in their last three competitive encounters, the National League semi-final, the FBD final and last year's Connacht decider. I'd say that if Peter Ford was allowed hand back one he might do without the FBD. A sequence like that builds up both the pressure on Galway and the chance of a response from Mayo.

To add fuel to the fire, Mickey Moran's assistant manager John Morrison accused Galway of spoiling tactics in the aftermath of the league encounter. So we can expect a lively opening 20 minutes tomorrow when referee Paddy Russell could be busy as the rivalries are reignited.

Galway are slight favourites based on those recent results between the teams. They are also going for their fourth title in five years whereas Mayo have struggled to recapture the form that brought them to the 2004 All-Ireland final.

For some of their players, like Ciarán McDonald, James Nallen and David Heaney, time is running out for one last assault at an All-Ireland title. The easiest route for that to happen would be victory over Galway and direct entry into the quarter-finals.

To win this game Mayo need to get a better balance in their full-back line which has plenty of pace and tenacity but lacks height, as was exposed by Leitrim's Declan Maxwell in the second half of the semi-final. Both Nallen and Heaney prefer the half-back line but one of them is needed further back.

This is especially true when you consider the fire-power in the Galway inside line of Micheál Meehan, Pádraic Joyce and Seán Armstrong although Armstrong has yet to transfer his under-21 or club form to the senior intercounty ranks.

Michael Donnellan's positioning at midfield for the Tribesmen is a good move as he transformed the game in the semi-final after being moved out in the second half. Up to that time Galway had struggled in the middle third and with Joe Bergin starting at wing forward tomorrow, but likely to have a roaming commission, expect a battle royal in this part of the field because Ronan McGarrity and Pat Harte are also on top of their game at the moment.

Harte is playing excellent football at both club and county level and it was only when he was sent off in the Leitrim game that Mayo's performance went into serious decline.

When the sides met in the league in April, Galway proved more potent up front with the usual suspects of Joyce, Donnellan, Meehan and Savage all scoring from play. Mayo relied almost totally on Austin O'Malley as a scoring threat that day and he is out through injury tomorrow.

But some people forget that injury and suspension meant that Mayo were without Conor and Trevor Mortimer and that McDonald made only a brief appearance as he had just returned from hibernation.

Since that game Galway have lost Paul Clancy. His presence will be sorely missed as his ball winning and excellent distribution in this year's league clash and his blotting out of McDonald in last year's Connacht final were very influential. He decided against the cruciate operation and is back in training but he won't have any involvement tomorrow.

I would expect the challengers' attack to carry a bigger threat tomorrow particularly if they are not restrained by a complicated tactical approach, which they were never comfortable with in recent games. Players need to be allowed to express their talents instinctively at times because otherwise they can become too predictable and can be easier to counteract.

The idea of Ger Brady playing at centre forward initially worked quite well and it was felt his direct running at defences was something that had been needed in McDonald's game, which sometimes brought him too deep. But the idea was successfully counteracted and doesn't seem to carry the same conviction at this stage.

The "nut" has also been a mixed success. The idea of lining the full forwards vertically and then breaking in all directions ahead of incoming ball hasn't always worked. Mayo have been playing a short-ball game, which is slower and means the ball sometimes doesn't get as far as the inside forwards. You need quicker delivery to exploit the tactic.

I'm not sure if Galway are as desperate to win Connacht as they were last year or as Mayo are this year. If Mayo can get the proper defensive structure to keep tabs on the Galway danger men then home venue before a full house in McHale Park and the hurt of three previous defeats can tip the balance in their favour.