SoccerPreview

Ireland v England: Katie McCabe aware of opposition’s qualities ahead of historic clash

None of the Irish squad was born the last time Ireland played England

Republic of Ireland's Anna Patten (left) and Katie McCabe with team-mates during a training session at the Aviva. Photograph: Damien Eagers/PA Wire

Mary Hannigan
Mon Apr 8 2024 - 17:58
Euro 2025 qualifier

Republic Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium, 7.30pm (Live on RTÉ2)

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe was not entirely convincing when she insisted that Tuesday evening’s Euro 2025 qualifying game against England at the Aviva Stadium would be “just another game for us”. With over 30,000 tickets sold already, according to the FAI, for the first meeting between the nations in 37 years, the occasion will, most probably, feel significantly bigger than that.

While the Irish players were generally upbeat after their 1-0 defeat by France in Metz on Friday, taking some encouragement from the scoreline if not the result, then England should prove to be tougher opponents again. They are, after all, the reigning European champions, World Cup finalists last August and the second ranked side in the world. They are also coming to Dublin hell-bent on collecting all three points, having dropped two on Friday when Sweden held them to a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

And McCabe knows more about England’s qualities than most, four of their squad – Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo – team-mates of hers at Arsenal, while she has come up against the rest on countless occasions since she first moved to England in 2015. In all, 18 players in the Irish squad play their football in England, in either the WSL or Championship, so the two sides will be no strangers to each other.

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“They’re world-class players, they’re not European champions for no reason,” said McCabe. “They’ve got quality all over their squad and we’ll be looking to nullify that on Tuesday. We’re realistic, we know what we are up against, but we always believe we can go and beat anyone on our day. We’ve got the quality, we’ve got a world-class goalkeeper, we’ve shown how we can defend, we showed how we can attack throughout the Nations League, so it’s about finding the balance. We just need to make sure we’re on it tomorrow and decisive in those big moments.”

Katie McCabe and Leah Williamson of Arsenal will go against each other at the Aviva. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty

Manager Eileen Gleeson has some big selection decisions to make again, not least after Aoife Mannion’s discomfort at left-wing back against France, where she had never played before, the Manchester United defender looking decidedly happier on the right in the second half. And then there was Emily Murphy’s ineffectiveness on the right side of midfield.

Jess Ziu might well have come in for Murphy after a hamstring problem saw her miss out on Friday, but she is ruled out again with the same issue. Glasgow City’s Emily Whelan has been brought in to the squad to replace her, while Amber Barrett took a full part in training at the Aviva on Monday afternoon having been a doubt after limping out of the French game, as did Heather Payne who also departed that game early with a knock.

Both McCabe and Gleeson doffed their caps to Megan Campbell’s impact when she came on for Friday’s second half, those javelin-esque throw-ins helping push the team further up the pitch and relieve some of the French pressure, so she’s an option to start on the left of the defence, as is Izzy Atkinson.

Further up the pitch, Kyra Carusa will need a lot more support than she received in Metz, but Gleeson is tasked with balancing a desire to take England on with a need to be cautious against a side capable of inflicting no little pain if given the space.

Uefa’s scheduling hasn’t been the kindest to this round of Euro 2025 qualifying fixtures, clashing as they do with the first legs of the men’s Champions League quarter-finals. RTÉ, though, have made the decision to “relegate” Real Madrid v Manchester City to their Player and their news channel, the women’s game live on RTÉ2 (kick-off 7.30pm).

What impact the clash will have on the attendance at the Aviva remains to be seen, but Gleeson urged Irish football fans to eschew the Champions League and turn up in their droves.

“We’re hoping it’ll be nice and loud, sing along with the anthem with us. I don’t know if you could hear the stadium the other night in Metz, but it was absolutely phenomenal, the whole stadium singing. That kind of support makes a real difference.”

None of the Irish squad was born the last time Ireland played England. “I definitely wasn’t,” said McCabe. “I wasn’t either,” Gleeson fibbed. Mind you, she was only 14 when England won 1-0 in a friendly at Dalymount Park. There’ll be nothing friendly about Tuesday evening’s encounter. It will, you’d suspect, be anything but just another game.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times

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