Following Galway's defeat to Waterford in round two of the hurling league, and Kilkenny's stunning win over Tipperary, Anthony Cunningham's men are given little, if any, chance of a victory in Nowlan Park this Sunday (2pm ) against Kilkenny in division 1A.
Connacht, with all Galway players, went down to Leinster (1-23 to 0-16 ) last weekend at Croke Park, and Galway are 5/1 outsiders to win on Sunday, with the home side at 1/7.
Shane Kavanagh started at full-back with Daithí Burke at wing-back for Connacht and it will be interesting to see if they retain those positions for Sunday's clash with Brian Cody's men.
The hurlers will also be without the Portumna contingent, who are preparing for the All-Ireland club final on Monday week, and Nowlan Park is a venue where you would prefer to have a full hand.
The fixtures do not get any easier as Galway will face Tipperary in Pearse Stadium on March 16 and Clare in Cusack Park on March 23.
The top four teams in division 1A go into the league quarter-finals, and the bottom two teams play off for relegation.
