Five talking points ahead of Dublin vs Tyrone, live on Sky Sports

As Dublin and Tyrone prepare to face off in Sunday’s All-Ireland final, live on Sky Sports, we take a look at the main talking points.

Can Tyrone shut down Ciarán Kilkenny?

Ciarán Kilkenny is the frontrunner to be named Footballer of the Year. The Castleknock man has scored 2-21 from play so far this summer, more than any other player. To put it simply, if Kilkenny plays well, Dublin play well.

Mayo successfully reduced his influence in last year’s decider as Lee Keegan kept close tabs on him.

Tyrone will need to deploy a similar man-marker on the 25-year-old in order to stop the Dublin attack.

Can Colm Cavanagh produce another power performance?

Dublin have a knack of keeping opposition main men quiet on the big day. Aidan O’Shea was never able to fully exert his influence against Dublin in recent years, while Cavanagh is another who will feel he has more to offer against the Boys in Blue.

The Moy man was immense in the semi-final win over Monaghan, and will be aiming to contribute a similar performance in the decider. If Dublin allow him to have a similar influence on the game, Tyrone will have a serious foothold from deep in the field.

Is the gap widening?

Dublin are chasing a fourth All-Ireland title in a row, as they begin to enter the conversation about the best teams of all time. Mayo have ran the Dubs close in recent seasons, losing the last two finals by a single point, one of which was after a replay.

Dublin’s young side are yet to be truly challenged by a 70-minute performance this season, and seem to have had an extra gear if needed in each game so far. Is the gap to the chasing pack growing?

Someone’s 0 has got to go

Jim Gavin and Mickey Harte are both unbeaten in All-Ireland senior finals. Harte oversaw triumphs in 2003, 2005 and 2008, while Gavin won in 2013 before steering the Dubs to three in a row.

The two managers take a different approach to the big day – Gavin insists to his side that it is just another 70 minutes of football while Harte encourages his side to embrace the occasion.

Somebody’s perfect record will fall on Sunday afternoon.

Can Tyrone cause the biggest final shock of the modern era?

Tyrone are priced as 6/1 outsiders in a two-horse race. To put it simply, if they were to beat Dublin on Sunday it would be the biggest final shock of the modern era.

Not since Louth beat Cork in 1957 has there been a comparable shock.

Nonetheless, Tyrone are getting closer to the All-Ireland champions. 12 months ago there was a 12-point margin between the sides, and that was reduced to just three when they met in Omagh last month.

Harte’s side will be confident they can close the gap even further at Croker.

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Make sure to tune into Sky Sports Arena from 2:30pm for live coverage of the All-Ireland SFC final on Sunday, as Dublin face Tyrone.

(c) Sky News 2018: Five talking points ahead of Dublin vs Tyrone, live on Sky Sports