Armagh begin their bid for a second All-Ireland title in three years against Derry at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday evening, with Callum O'Neill named on the bench after a shoulder injury kept him out since April 12. The championship meeting throws in at 19:15 BST and gives Armagh a first look at the Sam Maguire series after last weekend's off-week.

That timing matters because Armagh arrive with momentum and a little more freshness. They ended an 18-year wait for Ulster glory before this fixture, then watched the weekend pass after their win over Monaghan, while Derry come in with four weeks to prepare for the start of their championship campaign.

Oisin McConville believes Derry have enough in them to ask real questions, but he still expects Armagh to come through. That is not just a polite nod to the visitors. Derry won five games in Division Two this year without earning promotion, beat Antrim in Ulster and then lost to Monaghan after leading by 10 points, so the shape of their season has been mixed even before they return to a ground where they have been pushed back by Armagh in each of the past two All-Ireland round-robin meetings.

Armagh's team also carries a small but telling change, with Gareth Murphy coming in at left corner-back for Paddy Burns. Derry, by contrast, have kept the same starting side from the Monaghan defeat, though James Sargent and Dan Higgins have done enough to reach the bench. O'Neill's return adds another option for Armagh, and it comes at a time when they are trying to turn provincial success into something bigger.

That is the shape of Saturday night: a home side chasing another step in a title defence built on an Ulster breakthrough, and a visiting side that has had time to reset but still has to prove it can finish the job in a game that looks likely to be decided late. McConville expects it to be close into the last five minutes, and that is where Armagh's bench and Derry's form will finally meet.