Republic of Ireland v England: All you need to know

UEFA Nations League Group B2

Republic of Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium, 5pm

TV/STREAMING

Watch live build-up and coverage of the match on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 4pm.

RADIO

Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport.

ONLINE

There will be a live match tracker on rte.ie/sport, the RTÉ News app, as well as updates and goals on RTÉ Sport on X and RTÉ Sport Facebook.

WEATHER

Largely dry tomorrow with a mix of cloud and sunny spells with a few showers possible in the south. Highest temperatures of 19 to 24 degrees in light variable breezes.

Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Heimir at the helm but what can we expect?

Eight months and about eight thousand managerial candidates later (possibly a slight over-estimate), the new man at the helm of the Republic of Ireland men’s senior team was announced in July.

It wasn’t Lee Carsley – although he will be at the Aviva Stadium in a different uniform on Saturday – nor was it Gus Poyet, Neil Lennon, Willy Sagnol, Anthony Barry, Slaven Bilic, Anthony Hudson nor any of the array of names linked with the role following the parting of ways with Stephen Kenny.

Instead it was Heimir Hallgrimsson, who the FAI insisted was the number one target as far back as spring. It took time for him to be appointed. But that’s exactly what the former Iceland and Jamaica manager has not been afforded in the build-up to a tough UEFA Nations League campaign which starts with Euro 2024 runners-up England’s visit to Dublin.

While international windows came and went in March and June without a permanent manager, Hallgrimsson hasn’t had a honeymoon period to get to know his squad in a forgiving friendly environment before tackling what will be a difficult set of fixtures in League B.

The one benefit of having assistant John O’Shea and coach Paddy McCarthy by his side for this new era is that they led Ireland against Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary and Portugal in the last four friendly fixtures and it is no surprise that the new manager has leant on them in terms of putting together the squad for the England and Greece fixtures.

While Hallgrimsson acquaints himself with the players, his message to them will be simple. ‘Back to basics’ has been the watchword, harking back to a style of play that will eschew progressive play and focus on being gritty and hard to beat.

It’s a template that has served him well in his previous roles, although any notion that he is some sort of 4-4-2 merchant can be dispelled.

As Icelandic journalist Jóhann Ingi Hafþórsson of daily newspaper Morgunblaðið told RTÉ Sport back in July, Hallgrimsson has been tactically flexible when it comes how he set his Iceland side up when he went from joint to sole manager. Similarly, his Jamaica team tended to play three-at-the-back and it would be no surprise if Ireland started out in that latter shape against England.

It was the formation that provided the bedrock for much of Kenny’s tenure but while the now St Patrick’s Athletic boss sought to bring a more expansive approach to Ireland’s play, Hallgrimsson will aim to build on the grittier displays from that era like the home games against France, Portugal and the first half against the Netherlands – but with the added hope that results could follow.

England, while unimpressive for much of their run to the Euro 2024 final, will provide a daunting test for Hallgrimsson’s opening act, even if realistically the most relevant litmus tests will come against Greece on Tuesday and Finland in October.

Carsley leads the subplots for Ireland’s opposition

There may be a parallel universe out there where Lee Carsley is the one plotting England’s downfall. As it happens, any links to the Ireland vacancy were unfulfilled.

But as fate would have it, Gareth Southgate’s departure as England manager has seen the former Republic of Ireland midfielder step up from the Three Lions’ Under-21s and into caretaker charge of the senior team to take on the national team he represented 40 times.

Whether he becomes England manager permanently will rest on the games against Ireland, Greece and Finland over the coming months with Sky News Radio sports editor Joe Rawson telling this week’s RTÉ Soccer Podcast that he envisages this Nations League as an audition for Carsley.

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The former Everton and Ireland midfielder has certainly looked to put his stamp on the England squad, drafting in Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Angel Gomes, while leaving out Kyle Walker.

Recalling Jack Grealish, who was discarded by Southgate for the Euros amid indifferent form, was also a notable choice and ensures that the Manchester City attacking midfielder and Declan Rice are both in Dublin where they will face a hostile reaction from the terraces.

Both swapped Ireland for the birth nations of England – Rice’s case leaving a more bitter taste given the Arsenal man was capped by the Boys in Green at senior level.

The current Ireland set-up are not getting caught up in those subplots with John O’Shea giving the focus on Rice short shrift in his press conference appearance this week.

“It’s one of them, it’s a focus on us and the players that are here and the players who want to be here. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

No surprises but how to get everything in its right place?

Hallgrimsson’s first Ireland squad – largely picked with the input of O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy – features few surprises and just the one new face in Leicester winger Kasey McAteer.

Josh Cullen, a mainstay of the midfield under Kenny, is absent from the 23-man selection as expected due to injury but Brighton striker Evan Ferguson was deemed fit enough to be drafted in despite not playing a single minute of club action this season since his injury-affected ending to the last Premier League campaign.

A fully fit Ferguson may well have started on Saturday but the likelihood is Celtic’s Adam Idah will lead the line and provide an out-ball in the channels with Ipswich duo Chiedozie Ogbene and Sam Szmodics primed to be in support.

Caoimhin Kelleher will be the starting number one despite a lack of first-team action being an issue by staying at Liverpool but game-time – or lack of it – may well factor into the manager’s thoughts in regard to the defensive line in front of the Corkman with Jake O’Brien and Andrew Omobamidele only afforded Carabao Cup minutes by Everton and Nottingham Forest thus far.

Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea and Liam Scales, on the other hand, should have no issues on that front this season and will be favourites to line-up on the pitch for Amhrán na bhFiann.

But how Hallgrimsson moves the pieces of the jigsaw around first time out will be intriguing.

Republic of Ireland squad

Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O’Leary (Bristol City).

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Jake O’Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), Robbie Brady (Preston North End).

Midfielders: Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Alan Browne (Sunderland), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City).

Attackers: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town), Callum Robinson (Cardiff City), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).

Security measures

Ahead of England’s first competitive fixture in Dublin since 1990 the FAI have confirmed to RTÉ soccer correspondent Tony O’Donoghue that additional security measures have been put in place.

An FAI spokesperson said: “The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that extra security personnel and An Garda Síochána members will be deployed in and around the stadium, and around the approach roads to ensure all spectators attending the fixture will have a safe and enjoyable experience.

“Planning for the fixture with the local authorities, An Garda Síochána, the emergency services and the FA has been extensive to ensure a safe event and we look forward to welcoming all supporters to the Aviva Stadium tomorrow for what should be a fantastic occasion.”

New Nations League format

This will be the fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League, a tournament that as of yet has not been a happy hunting ground for Ireland.

The format has also been tweaked. In the top tier League A, a quarter-final round has been added for the post-group phase, while of more relevance to the Boys in Green will be the introduction of promotion and relegation play-offs.

First place in each group from B down still results in automatic promotion to the tier above and finishing bottom conversly has not altered the unwanted prize of relegation.

But now second place in League B, C and D offers a promotion play-off against the third-placed team from the tier above. Third place will mean a relegation play-off against the second-place finisher from the tier below. The draw for those play-offs will take place on 22 November.

If history is anything to go by in League B, Ireland have finished third in all three previous Nations League campaigns – the first of those actually being a bottom place finish only for UEFA to expand the number of teams per group to four, earning the Boys in Green a reprieve.

With Saturday’s opponents England heavy favourites for top spot; a Greece side which beat Ireland home and away during the Euro qualifiers and Finland all also sharing Group B2, this will be a difficult campaign for Hallgrimsson and his squad.

Watch Republic of Ireland v England in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.

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Watch Republic of Ireland v England in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.