Soccer

Ireland Under-17s set for Denmark showdown

Colin O’Brien’s side lost their open European Championship fixture against Belgium

Ireland Under-17s ahead of their 3-2 defeat to Belgium. Photograph: FAI

Mon May 7 2018 - 19:55

Ireland Under-17’s are set for a European Championship showdown with Denmark at a sold out St George’s Park on Tuesday. (1.0pm ko)

Colin O’Brien’s side come into the game off the back of their first defeat of the season, a 2-0 reversal against Belgium on Saturday.

Last season’s quarter-final appearance was Ireland’s best finish in this competition, and with an opening group game defeat in 2017 O’Brien knows that Group C is still very much alive.

“Preparations have gone well. Most of the players had a recovery day yesterday. The full squad trained today and every player is fully prepared for the task at hand tomorrow. We’ve got to be positive in our approach and try and get something out of the game,” he said.

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“We were massively disappointed with the result on Saturday but when you put the game in perspective we performed really well in periods and created good chances. The players know they need to take those now and we’re all looking forward to the Denmark game.”

Denmark opened their campaign on Saturday with a 3-2 defeat against Bosnia & Herzegovina. A result tomorrow will put Ireland right in contention for a quarter-final place ahead of Friday’s final group game with Bosnia & Herzegovina.

O’Brien said: “There are still six points on offer and there are still two places available to get out of the group. We’ve got to believe in the way we play, everybody has got to stay positive, stay part of the group and everybody has got to perform to the level we know we can achieve. We did create chances in game one, and if we do that tomorrow I’m sure we’ll convert them.

“Denmark will be very good opposition. They have a very European style of play, very possession based. They can be expansive at times, they like to press high and have some good technical players. They’ll be formidable but we’ve a good squad of players, we believe in ourselves and we’re aiming to get something out of the game.”

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