Sky Live: Kilkenny vs Dublin in the Leinster Hurling Championship

Kilkenny host Dublin in a mouthwatering Leinster Hurling Championship opener on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports.

The Cats are favourites to continue their recent dominance over the men from the capital, but the Sky Blues enjoyed a breakthrough league campaign and will be hopeful of continuing their progress under Mattie Kenny.

Talking points

Can Kilkenny deal with their injury crisis?

The Cats are missing a significant proportion of their team’s spine, with goalkeeper Eoin Murphy, fullback Conor Delaney, centre-back Cillian Buckley and midfielder James Maher all sidelined.

All-Star Murphy in particular is key to Kilkenny’s cause. He showed during the league win over Tipp how dangerous he is from placed balls, while his distribution and shot-stopping is up there with the best of them.

The depth of Brian Cody’s squad will certainly be tested, and it remains to be seen if they can cope.

Just how far have Dublin progressed?

Dublin knocked hard on the door in 2018, but failed to crack the top three in Leinster. In 2019 to date, they’ve taken a step up with eye-catching wins over Waterford and Tipperary in the Allianz League.

With a solid defence, they look well primed to work their way through the province. However, at least one win over Kilkenny, Wexford and Galway will be required for them to secure safe passage through to the All-Ireland series.

The Boys in Blue haven’t enjoyed a meaningful championship win since their 2016 triumph over Wexford, and they’ll be eager to put that right.

Key players

TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

The Ballyhale Shamrocks star’s return after helping his club to the All-Ireland will provide the Cats with a huge boost up front. The 2015 Hurler of the Year remains one of the most lethal forwards in the game, and will assume free-taking duties.

As he showed last season in the comeback win over Wexford at Nowlan Park, Reid can swing a match virtually single-handedly.

Sean Moran (Dublin)

The 26-year-old was key to Cuala’s back-to-back All-Ireland title successes, and has grown into a key figure in the Dublin team in recent seasons.

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