Liam Scales: We know what this game means to Irish fans

The English team visit Dublin for a competitive game for the first time in 34 years at a sold-out Lansdowne Road, where Hallgrimsson and Lee Carsley both take charge of their teams for the first time, an emotional occasion for Carsley, who was capped 40 times by Ireland.

In-form defender Scales says he’s aware of the history attached to the fixture and will draw inspiration from the home crowd. “I don’t think we need more motivation than just playing for your country in the first place, but there is that extra there for the public, and you know how much it means to a lot of people,” says Scales.

“I’ll use it a little bit but it won’t be too different to a normal game, you have to keep it the way you usually do, you don’t want to change too many things in the way you get yourself up for a game, so it will be minor things.

“I think the players know how big this is for us and I’m sure during the rest of the week, that will be reminded to us by the staff, and it is important to keep your discipline and not let your emotions get the better of you as at the end of the day, it’s a game of football and you want 11 players on the pitch to have the best chance of winning the game regardless of who you are playing against and the rivalry that’s there.”

Scales, who says his English-born father will be supporting the boys in green and not his native country, starred for Celtic in last week’s 3-0 dismissal of Rangers and, conscious of historical background against England, who have not beaten the Republic in the last four competitive meetings, expects the same intensity as the Old Firm tie.

“It is a similar sort of intense rivalry, that it’s not just about football. There is a bit of history and stuff so it’s brilliant to have them fixtures back to back and hopefully we can get a good result now as well. Obviously I can take the experience of playing against Rangers but it is a little bit different so just treat it like a match.”

Hallgrímsson and his medical staff will assess Evan Ferguson’s fitness again today after training to decide if the teenager is fit to start. The Brighton man has not played for club or country since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in April and Hallgrímsson has a big call to make on whether Ferguson can start against England.