The Galway football management team of Alan Mulholland, Donal O’Flatharta and Alan Flynn have made no changes to the starting 15 that faced Roscommon in the first round of the Connacht championship.
That team advanced easily on a score-line of 3-15 to 0-10, and it is difficult to change a winning formula. As a result Padraig Joyce, Michael Meehan, Tomás Fahy, Diarmuid Blake and Fionntán Ó Curraoin, who are all available for selection, will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Apart from Niall Coleman and Conor Doherty, who are both unavailable, Galway had a full panel from which to select for Saturday evening’s clash at Pearse Stadium (6pm ).
Sligo team manager and triple Galway All-Star winner Kevin Walsh does not have such a luxury. He will be without the experienced Eamonn O'Hara (knee ) and star corner forward David Kelly (ankle ) from his starting line-up.
Both players failed to prove their fitness fully earlier in the week, although it is expected that they can come on and make contributions at some stage.
Walsh has made two changes from the side that defeated New York by 3-21 to 0-6. Johnny Martyn comes in at full-back in place of the experienced Noel McGuire, while Eugene Mullen has been selected at midfield ahead of Tony Taylor who played in the first round.
Galway: Adrian Faherty, Kieran McGrath, Finian Hanley (cpt ), Keith Kelly, Gareth Bradshaw, Johnny Duane, Gary O'Donnell, Joe Bergin, Greg Higgins, Gary Sice, Damien Burke, Tomás Flynn, Seán Armstrong, Paul Conroy, Mark Hehir.
Sligo: Philip Greene; Neil Ewing, Johnny Martyn, Ross Donovan (cpt ), Charlie Harrison, Mark Quinn, Paul McGovern, Shane McManus, Eugene Mullen, Brendan Egan, Pat Hughes, Alan Costello, Stephen Coen, Adrian Marren, Mark Breheny.
