Republic of Ireland vs England LIVE: Nations League latest score and goal updates as Lee Carsley era begins

England face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in the first match of their new Nations League campaign, and their first under interim manager Lee Carsley. The match marks the first game since the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, in what was Gareth Southgate’s last match in charge.

And Carsley has instantly begun to look to the future, including the uncapped quartet of Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento in his first senior squad.

All four were part of the victorious U21 European Championship squad, and will be hoping to take the first step in their international careers as they look to gel into a side featuring plenty of experience.

Meanwhile, Ireland are also embarking on the start of a new journey, with new manager Heimir Halgrimsson able to select one of the most talented Ireland squads in recent years, including the Premier League’s Evan Ferguson, Sammie Szmodics and Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher.

Follow live updates from England vs Ireland in the Nations League below:

Republic of Ireland vs England LIVE

• England face Ireland in the Nations League with kick off at 5pm | Live on ITV1

• Fixture is England’s first game since Gareth Southgate resigned with interim boss Lee Carsley now in charge

• Carsley has picked four uncapped players in squad – Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento

• Ireland XI: Kelleher; Coleman, Collins, O’Shea, Brady; Szmodics, Smallbone, Molumby, Doherty; Idah, Ogbene.

• England XI: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Guehi, Colwill, Mainoo, Rice, Gordon, Grealish, Saka, Kane

• Recalled Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire return to England starting XI

16:50 , Chris Wilson

What can we expect from England today?

16:45 , Chris Wilson

The big news in the starting XI is that Jack Grealish looks to be starting in a more advanced role in midfield, in what is nowadays referred to as the ‘10’ position. As in Germany, Rice will sit back with Mainoo likely to try and link the two, though this didn’t quite work at Euro 2024.

Perhaps the introduction of Grealish, who is more naturally creative than Jude Bellingham, can have the desired affect in attack.

With Mainoo, England may struggle with the same thing that Erik ten Hag is struggling with at club level – not really knowing the youngster’s best role in midfield. He is incapable of playing as a lone defensive midfielder, and though he looked secure with Rice in Germany, there was a sense that it he perhaps wasn’t the right fit in that system.

Perhaps Rice and Mainoo are simply not a complementary pairing, but it is worth trying a more naturally attacking midfielder alongside them both to see if it pays off.

Carsley speaks to ITV before kick-off

16:40 , Chris Wilson

Lee Carsley spoke to ITV briefly in the lead-up to kick-off, and said he is in “an incredibly proud position” today.

“It’s an incredibly proud position for myself and my family. I’m really looking forward to the game. I’ve got so much respect for both national anthems and I’ll stand there proudly today.

“It’s a real proud moment, a moment I’m really looking forward to and I can’t wait for the game now,” he added.

Regarding the national anthem, he said: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion – as a player making my debut in 1996, 1997, whatever it was, I was totally focused on the game and it was something I found difficult to get used to, in terms of the delay and I used to spend that time really concentrating on keeping my focus.

“And that hasn’t changed since I’ve been coaching.”

Today’s Nations League fixtures

16:35 , Chris Wilson

A rundown of today’s other fixtures from Uefa’s official X account.

16:30 , Chris Wilson

Maguire finds the net against Ireland in 2020

16:25 , Chris Wilson

Form guide

16:20 , Chris Wilson

England come into this game fresh off a disappointing end to Euro 2024, in which they were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the final.

The Three Lions form over the last five games is W3, D1, L1, though one of those wins was in extra-time against Slovakia, and another one was on penalties against Switzerland.

The Three Lions’ last win in normal time was against the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024, and their only other win in 90 minutes in that tournament was against Serbia in their opening match.

Ireland (W1, D2, L2) didn’t qualify for the summer tournament in Germany, though they beat Hungary 2-1 and lost 3-0 to Portugal in friendlies in June before the competition started.

Their three games before that ended with draws to New Zealand and Belgium, and a 1-0 loss to Switzerland.

What do fans and the media want from England?

16:13 , Chris Wilson

Plenty of the criticism that England faced during Euro 2024 – and in the immediate aftermath of the loss to Spain in the final – revolved around the lack of a concrete system, which lead to ineffectiveness in attack and a defence that was too easy to open up in the final.

Even in matches where England dominated possession, they created too few notable attacking opportunities and too often relied on brilliant moments from their big names, such as Jude Bellingham’s equaliser against Slovakia.

Perhaps Lee Carsley’s main job is to find a way to balance the side while incorporating all of the main talents, but with players such as Foden and Bellingham unavailable during this autumn international break, Carsley’s main role for now is simply to get England playing some entertaining football while also dominating control of the ball.

Ireland starting XI

16:05 , Chris Wilson

Ireland XI: Kelleher; Coleman, Collins, O’Shea, Brady; Szmodics, Smallbone, Molumby, Doherty; Idah, Ogbene.

Subs: Trvers, O’Leary, O’Dowda, Omobamidele, Browne, Ferguson, O’Brien, McAteer, Scales, Knight, Robinson, Parrott.

Team news! Republic of Ireland v England

15:57 , Jamie Braidwood

Tino Livramento, Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke and Angel Gomes are all named on the bench and could make their England debuts in Dublin.

Team news! Republic of Ireland v England

15:50 , Jamie Braidwood

England team to face Ireland: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Guehi, Colwill, Mainoo, Rice, Gordon, Grealish, Saka, Kane

As expected, Lee Carsley hands starts to the recalled Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire in his first starting line-up as England interim manager.

Maguire partners Marc Guehi in defence, with Trent Alexander-Arnold starting at right back but able to push into midfield. Levi Colwill is on the left.

In midfield, Declan Rice starts on his return to Dublin, along with Kobbie Mainoo. In front of them, Anthony Gordon gets the nod on the left, with Buakyo Saka on the right.

Does that leave Grealish in a free role? Harry Kane captains the side and starts up front.

Is Republic of Ireland v England on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Nations League fixture

15:40 , Chris Wilson

With just over an hour until kick-off now, a reminder of how you can watch today’s match.

When is Republic of Ireland vs England?

Republic of Ireland vs England kicks off at 5pm BST on Saturday 7 September at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 4pm. Subscribers will also be able to watch via ITV X online and on the app.

Is Ireland v England on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch

England Nations League fixture list

15:30 , Chris Wilson

Ahead of the line-ups being announced soon, here’s a rundown of all of England’s group-phase fixtures in the Nations League.

10 September – England vs Finland, Wembley Stadium

10 October – England vs Greece, Wembley Stadium

13 October – Finland vs England, Helsinki Olympic Stadium

14 November – Greece vs England, Athens Olympic Stadium

17 November – England vs Republic of Ireland, Wembley Stadium

How the new Nations League system works

15:22 , Chris Wilson

Each team faces each other home and away in the group phase.

The League A winners and second-placed teams will enter home and away quarter-finals against each other. Victorious teams will take up the four spots in the finals, while fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B will be relegated. Those battling in League C have to work a little harder for safety with the two bottom-placed sides plummeting to League D.

On the flipside, all four winners from Leagues B and C will be automatically promoted, with the two League D winners also moving up. Further promotions will be decided via two-legged play-offs, between the third-ranked teams in League A and runners-up in League B, as well as the third-ranked teams in League B and runners-up in League C.

The two best ranked fourth-place teams in League C will meet the two runners-up from League D to decide who enters the next competition in the higher division.

The return of the Nations League: Groups, favourites and what’s new in 2024/25

Nations League Group B2

15:15 , Chris Wilson

England have dropped down to Nations League league ‘B’, the second tier of the League. They are in group B2, along with Greece, Finland and, of course, Ireland.

They face Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, while Ireland host Greece in Dublin.

The next round of fixtures takes place between 10 October and 15 October.

Halgrimsson comments on England

15:07 , Chris Wilson

“I hope we will have the same result tomorrow, of course,” said Halgrimsson, referring to Iceland’s 2-1 win at Euro 2016.

“We were just speaking in the car on the way in – that night was special. Everything we did that night succeeded, whether it was tactical, taking our chances, defending our goal, and nothing England tried that night succeeded, so it was just one of those days.

““Hopefully it will come again tomorrow. But we know, even if we have our best game, it still isn’t sure it will lead into a victory against a good team like England.

“We need to make sure we have the best game we can tomorrow and see what that gives us,” he added.

“It’s a totally different team. The individual quality, the technical skills, the speed, of this team is much higher than the one we played.

“Also they are coming off from a good tournament and I would say the biggest difference is they have stayed together for two months now, and we have three days to prepare.

“That is going to be challenging as their routine is so drilled, whether it’s on the pitch or off the pitch. Coming from a good U21 campaign as well, they come on a high here, players playing Champions League day in, day out. It’s good individuals for sure we are facing.”

New Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping to mastermind another England upset

15:00 , Chris Wilson

New Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson is hoping lightning strikes twice as he plots England’s downfall once again.

The 57-year-old was Iceland co-manager with Lars Lagerback when they masterminded a famous 2-1 last-16 victory over England at Euro 2016, in the process sending Roy Hodgson’s men to one of the lowest points in the country’s recent history.

A little more than eight years on, Hallgrimsson is looking to do much the same for Ireland in his first game since replacing Stephen Kenny at the helm when England head for the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

New Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping to mastermind another England upset

Notable Ireland v England matches

14:50 , Chris Wilson

As well as that meeting at Italia ‘90, there have been plenty of other memorable matches between these two, some for all the wrong reasons.

Two years before the 1990 World Cup, the teams met at the 1988 European Championship, with Ireland winning 1-0 thanks to a Ray Houghton header. Charlton later remarked: “Somebody once said that fortune favours the brave, and God, our lads were brave this afternoon”.

A meeting at Lansdowne Road in 1995 is the most infamous fixture between the two, with the fixture abandoned after England fans caused riots having seen their side go 1-0 down in the opening 22 minutes.

England v Ireland head-to-head

14:40 , Chris Wilson

England and Ireland have only met 17 times in the past, with the first match dating back to 1946. The Three Lions have won six of these matches, with Ireland winning two and nine ending as draws.

Perhaps the most notable meeting between the two came at the 1990 World Cup, when Bobby Robson’s side drew 1-1 to an Ireland team managed by English World Cup winner Jack Charlton in Group F.

The last meeting between the two came in November 2020, when England won 3-0 in a friendly at Wembley courtesy of goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Brawls, boos and ‘plastic Paddys’: how the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined

14:30 , Chris Wilson

For some around the Irish squad, it’s still strange to be preparing for a match against Lee Carsley’s England. Ireland made a strong push for the admired coach, since he has 40 caps for the country. A solid Ireland midfielder is now the most important figure in English football culture, and will have a tricolour by his name if he takes England to the World Cup.

Carsley was born in Birmingham but qualified for Ireland through his Cork grandmother, and spoke last week of naturally feeling both nationalities. The same applies to many for Saturday’s game in Dublin, most notably Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who make up at least nine England regulars over the last half-decade that could have also represented Ireland. It is almost an inevitable inversion of the fixture’s history, when it was Ireland that most benefited from the country’s diaspora to Britain.

That history has been driven by one of the most complicated relationships in international football – at least on the Irish side. Among those complications are “800 years” of British occupation; a century of post-colonialism; decades of the English top flight serving as one of Ireland’s primary cultural influences as well as hundreds of players.

How the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined

With the national anthem, Lee Carsley discovers there is more to being England manager than just football

14:00 , Chris Wilson

In Lee Carsley’s first act as interim England manager, which was an introductory press conference, he said “I understand how an international window works”. He certainly does now.

If there is one reason there should be caution about Carsley getting the job other than results and performances, it certainly isn’t the singing of the national anthem. That should be irrelevant, except it does at least echo this bigger factor.

It is the need to realise that, whether a coach likes it or not, the England manager job is about so much more than football. It is a vessel for all of the country’s political influences to pour their own interests into, given it is still the most visible position in the national game. The role is supposed to stand for something greater, a representation of England, even if the people concerned with this are never going to actually agree what that England is supposed to be.

Lee Carsley discovers there is more to being England manager than just football

England manager Lee Carsley explains why he won’t sing either national anthem in Ireland game

13:50 , Chris Wilson

Plenty has been made of this in the media in the build-up to the match.

England manager and former Ireland player Lee Carsley says he won’t sing either anthem for Saturday’s match in Dublin, because that’s always been his stance throughout his career – while stating he hasn’t spoken individually to Declan Rice or Jack Grealish about potentially getting booed.

The interim English boss says he has spoken more generally to the squad about a potentially fervent atmosphere, as England play a competitive game in Ireland for the first time since 1990. Anglo-Irish relations have weighed over the build-up to the game, especially with so many of Carsley’s squad – including the manager himself – having an Irish background.

England manager Lee Carsley explains why he won’t sing either anthem in Ireland game

No concerns over Declan Rice and Jack Grealish’s Irish links – Lee Carsley

13:40 , Chris Wilson

Lee Carsley has no concerns about playing Declan Rice or Jack Grealishin Dublin as the former Republic of Ireland international prepares to lead England out as interim manager for the first time.

Saturday’s Nations League opener at the Aviva Stadium marks the start of a new era just 55 days after England lost a second successive European Championship final.

Gareth Southgate called time on his eight-year reign after the narrow loss to Spain, with England Under-21s boss Carsley promoted to caretaker senior boss as the Football Association considers its next steps.

No concerns over Declan Rice and Jack Grealish’s Irish links – Lee Carsley

Inside Lee Carsley’s plan to land the England manager’s job permanently and how he will change the team

13:30 , Chris Wilson

It wouldn’t have taken too many different turns for Lee Carsley to be on the opposite bench in Dublin this Saturday, for what is now his first match as interim England manager.

The Irish federation maybe just needed to go a bit stronger. The Football Association of Ireland had made Carsley its top target for the manager role, on account of his fine coaching reputation, as well as his background of having 40 caps for Ireland.

The 50-year-old has a grandfather from Cork, which gave him a similar decision to make to the time when Jack Charlton’s coaching staff approached him about joining the Irish Under-21s back in 1995. Carsley decided to go for it then. This time, though, he wasn’t so sure.

Lee Carsley’s outlandish England gamble leads to audition with a difference

Carsley’s career so far

13:20 , Chris Wilson

So how has Lee Carsley ended up as England’s interim manager?

The Birmingham-born coach had a 17-year playing career, and most notably featured in the Premier League for Everton and Derby County, having started his career at the latter.

The defensive midfielder made his debut in 1994 for the Rams in what was then called the First Division (now known as the Championship). He became a regular starter at Pride Park, helping his side to promotion to the Premier League in 1995/96.

The most successful spell of his career came between 2002 and 2008 while playing for Everton, with the Toffees finishing as high as fourth and sixth during his time at Goodison.

At international level, Carsley represented the Republic of Ireland, making 40 appearances between 1997 and 2008.

The 50-year-old retired in 2011, with his last club being Coventry City. Having worked on his coaching badges while at Everton, Carsley was made manager of Coventry U18s later in 2011.

His first involvement with England came as a coach for the U19s in 2015, and he went on to become head coach of the U20s in 2020 after holding various youth-level development roles within the FA.

In July 2021, Carsley was appointed as the U21s head coach, winning the European Championship in 2023 after beating Spain 1-0 in the final with a team that included Cole Palmer, Angel Gomes, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Gibbs-White and Levi Colwill.

How can I watch it?

11:13 , Mike Jones

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 4pm. Subscribers will also be able to watch via ITV X online and on the app.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

When is Republic of Ireland vs England?

11:06 , Mike Jones

Republic of Ireland vs England kicks off at 5pm BST on Saturday 7 September at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

England face Ireland in the Nations League

11:00 , Mike Jones

A new-look England squad start the post-Gareth Southgate era with a trip to Dublin to face the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League on Saturday.

Lee Carsley’s youthful squad look to immediately recover from an agonising 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, with the former U21 manger calling upon a few of his best-known players for the first time.

Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White were all instrumental in England U21 European Championship win under Carsley, and all four will get the chance to earn their first England caps in Dublin as the former Ireland international looks to blend youth with England’s vast experience.

And the Three Lions face a Republic of Ireland side who are beginning a new era of their own, with Heimir Halgrimsson having taken over in July – he’ll be looking for a famous win to mark his tenure with the perfect start.

Good morning!

10:09 , Mike Jones

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Nations League action as Lee Carsley takes charge of his first match as England’s interim boss.

It’s something of a homecoming for the new manager who leads the Three Lions against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, the nation Carsley appeared for during his playing career.

This match is also the first game England are playing since the exit of Gareth Southgate and Carsley has selected four uncapped players in the squad.

We’ll have all the latest team news, updates and more throughout the day so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 5pm.