By Aaron Doyle

THE Carlow hurlers have their destiny in their own hands as they take on Armagh for a place in the Division 2A league final while Ireland’s soccer team take on Wales in an important World Cup qualifier. Here are the highlights of the weekend.

1 Carlow v Armagh
NHL Division 2A, Netwatch Cullen Park, Sunday

Carlow’s David English in action against Kildare in the last round of the national hurling league. Carlow take on Armagh on Sunday

This weekend is a big one for Carlow’s hurlers as they look to set up a league final date with a win. With Carlow in second place in the table below Antrim, it is all in their own hands as they take on an Armagh side who are trying to stave off relegation to Division 2B.
Carlow will need at least a draw to fully secure their place in the final as Kildare are a point behind them and a significant score difference separates the sides.
While the Orchard County come with only a draw against London to their name, Armagh have ran teams close with a three-point defeat to Kildare and a seven-point defeat Antrim among their defeats.
The main men to watch out for are David and Cahal Carvill. Both men are the main scoring threats for the Ulster men as David has scored 0-23, which included 0-10 in a losing effort to Westmeath in round 3, while Cahal scored 2-3 last weekend against Antrim in another losing effort.
Both sides need a win here for different reasons and throw-in for this game is 1pm.

2 Ireland v Wales
World Cup qualifier, Aviva Stadium, Friday

Manager Martin O’Neill’s squad is troubled by injuries ahead of their clash with Wales

Ireland’s soccer team are back in action with a vital home game against Wales, which could go some way to deciding whether either of these teams will go on to Russia for next year’s World Cup.
Ireland are missing eight players for this game including the suspended Robbie Brady and injured duo Wes Hoolahan and Ciaran Clarke.
Wales have no such injury worries with star man Gareth Bale coming back from a long-term injury recently.
Both sides are still unbeaten after four games in the group but Ireland are four points ahead of Wales and on top of group D while Wales are in third place. Wales have become draw specialists in the group as they have been held to draws with Serbia, Austria and Georgia while Ireland won 1-0 against Austria in Vienna last November as they are on a three-game winning streak.
There are many well-known names in the Welsh squad including Premier League regulars Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal, Stoke’s Joe Allen and Everton’s Ashley Williams.
This match kicks-off at 7:45pm.

3 Leinster v Cardiff Blues
Guinness Pro 12, RDS Arena, Saturday

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen looks set to rest his front line players for this weekend’s game with Cardiff

After the end of the Six Nations last weekend, it is back to focusing on the provinces as Leinster take on Cardiff Blues this weekend.
Leo Cullen’s Leinster are on top of the table with five games to go in the Pro 12 and they take on a Cardiff Blues side who have not been firing on all cylinders. The Blues are 16 points away from an automatic qualification spot for next season’s Champions Cup and 20 points off a play-off spot. Both sides might rest players for this one as they are still involved in European competition which will resume next week, with Leinster taking on Wasps in the Champions Cup while the Blues are away to Gloucester in the Challenge Cup.
If the Blues play their strongest line-up in this game, they will have a few big names to call on such as Sam Warburton, Alex Cuthbert and Gethin Jenkins. They also have Gareth Anscombe who has done well for the Blues since signing from the Chiefs of New Zealand back in 2014. The fly-half has 274 points in his 37 games for the Blues and he won the U20 World Championship with New Zealand in 2011. This games kicks-off at 3pm.

4 Boston Celtics v Miami Heat
NBA, TD Garden, Boston, Sunday

The Boston Celtics will look to Isaiah Thomas for inspiration

With the NBA season coming to a close and games coming thick and fast, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat clash as the race to the play-offs continue.
For the Celtics, they have already clinched a play-off spot with 10 games to play as they are second in the Eastern conference while the Heat need every win they can get as they sit in eighth place with 11 games still to play in their schedule.
The Celtics have the upper hand in their previous three games, having won them all, but the most that has separated these two squads this season was 10 points. The last game between these teams was a 117-114 win for the Celtics on New Year’s Eve.
The Celtics can call on a fully fit squad with players like Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Avery Bradley among their big names, while the Heat are missing three players through injury with Hassan Whiteside the biggest loss. Goran Dragic and Dion Waters will be expected to pick up the slack as they are the only starters who have constantly scored highly throughout the season. The opening tip-off for this one is at 11pm Irish time.

5 Montreal Canadiens v Ottawa Senators
NHL, Centre Bell, Montreal, Saturday

Max Pacioretty will be key for the Montreal Canadiens

Much like the NBA, the NHL is also winding down its regular season as the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators battle it out for the Atlantic division title and second seed in the Eastern conference play-offs.
The Canadiens are three points ahead of the Senators, having played a game more than the team from Canada’s capital. With two points on offer here for the winner, it will go some way to deciding seeds for the play-offs.
The two teams have played each other four times this season with the series tied at 2-2. Montreal won the last game 4-1 which was in Montreal last Sunday but the other games have been tight. A shootout has been needed to separate the sides twice in the four games with both teams having a shootout win each, while the Senators won the other game 4-3.
The main men for the Canadiens are Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov and Shea Weber while Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris are players to watch out for on the Senators. The opening face-off is at 11pm Irish time.