UEFA Women’s Nations League Preview: Northern Ireland -v- Republic of Ireland

NORTHERN IRELAND

The home side will be seeking to keep their UEFA Women’s Nations League promotion hopes alive at Windsor Park on Tuesday evening when they welcome the Republic of Ireland to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (kick off 6pm).

A crowd of up to 10,000 is expected in the Belfast venue for the final match in the group stages of this debut UEFA Nations League in the women’s international game.

Northern Ireland come into the game on the  back of an excellent 4-0 win away in Albania at the weekend. A Simone Magill double followed by goals from Danielle Maxwell and substitute Megan Bell gave Tanya Oxtoby’s side the victory in Tirana

The home side second in the table two points clear of Hungary but need to at least match their result at home to Albania to earn a promotion shot to get out of League B.

Should Northern Ireland finish level on points with Hungary, the Magyars would go through on the back of their better head-to-head – Hungary beat Northern Ireland 3-2 at home with the other match ending in a 1-1 draw in Belfast.

Former Chelsea Women assistant-manager Oxtoby speaking to irishfa.com after the win in Albania said: “We wanted to be super aggressive in terms of our defence and make sure that when we did lose it we were in positions to win it back quickly and I thought we did that exceptionally well.

"We also asked at half-time to be a little bit more clinical in the final third which, again, we got in the second half.

“Tuesday evening’s game (against Republic of Ireland) is going to be a new challenge for us to take the performance from Albania and be able to apply that against a team that is in form.”

Oxtogy handed debuts at the weekend to Crusaders goalkeeper Maddy Harvey-Clifford and 18-year-old Linfield striker Keri Halliday.

Northern Ireland squad

Goalkeepers: Shannon Turner (Wolverhampton Wanderers Women), Rachael Norney (Liverpool Feds), Maddy Harvey-Clifford (Crusaders Strikers).

Defenders: Abbie Magee (Cliftonville Ladies), Rachel McLaren (Crusaders Strikers), Rebecca Holloway (Racing Louisville, USA), Ellie Mason (Birminghbam City Women), Sarah McFadden (Durham Women), Rebecca McKenna (Charlton Athletic Women), Laura Rafferty (Southampton Women), Demi Vance (Glentoran Women).

Midfielders Joely Andrews, Nadene Caldwell and Chloe McCarron (all Glentoran Women), Megan Bell (Rangers Women), Marissa Callaghan (Cliftonville Ladies), Caragh Hamilton (Lewes Women).

Forwards: Kerry Beattie and Emily Wilson (both Glentoran Women), Simone Magill (Aston Villa Women), Lauren Wade (Reading Women), Danielle Maxwell (Cliftonville Ladies), Keri Halliday (Linfield Women).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Interim manager Eileen Gleeson is set for her last game in charge of the Girls in Green as the Republic of Ireland play their sixth and final UEFA Nations League match in Belfast on Tuesday.

Under Gleeson, after Friday’s 1-0 win over Hungary in Tallaght, Ireland have won five out of five and have already guaranteed themselves promotion to League A. They have only conceded one goal during the campaign (in the 5-1 win home win over Albania).

“We've had our goals and our objectives for this campaign. Do we want six (wins) from six? Absolutely,” said Gleeson speaking in Belfast on the eve of the game as reported by RTÉ.

“I had a few direct and indirect questions about our motivations or intentions around this game, where maybe we wouldn't try to win it.

"There's not a single chance ever that we wouldn't be coming here to win and keep that story going moving forward to the Euros 2025, and six from six. We'll pick a team that we want to win the game."

Her captain Katie McCabe echoed those sentiments. "Of course we want to make sure it's six from six tomorrow but we know how Northern Ireland are going to come at us. They've got an incentive to finish second, they want to progress and we're playing at Windsor Park.

"It's going to be a massive game but we're under no illusions that it's going to be an easy game. There's always a healthy rivalry between the two countries. It's going to be a great game."

Republic Of Ireland Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Freya Healy (Peamount United), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Ellen Dolan (Peamount United)

Referee: Veronika Kovarova (Czech Republic)

MATCH STATS

Megan Connolly is set to win her 50^th cap should she make an appearance on the pitch in Belfast on Tuesday evening.

There are just three uncapped players in the Republic of Ireland squad – goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes) and Peamount United forwards Ellen Dolan and Freya Healy.

When the Girls in Green welcomed Northern Ireland to Dublin earlier in the campaign, the home side ran out 3-0 winners in front of a record breaking crowd of 35,944 in the Aviva Stadium last September. Tuesday game will be the 31st official match to be played between the two teams.

PREDICTION
2-0 away win

Boys in Green could bag Nations League group with England along with Greece https://t.co/HpFvhVkYYbpic.twitter.com/fgJHfeo0CD

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) December 3, 2023