England will welcome the Republic of Ireland to Wembley Stadium in London for this match-day six clash in the UEFA Nations League. The Three Lions have been relatively strong over the years, and they could make it out of the group once again, while Ireland is just playing to have a chance in the play-offs.
As of the time of writing, England has 9 points from four games (W3 L1), and they sit in second spot. On the other hand, Ireland has three points (W1 L3) from the same number of matches.
England have recorded success in other levels of football – 2022 women’s Euro triumph and Euro 2023 Under-21 win – but they have not been able to smile with the Three Lions. Erstwhile manager Gareth Southgate lost both European finals to Italy and Spain, and the latter result saw him leave his position. Without any doubt, he did excellent work with the side for eight years, but they need to go a step further with the current group of players. In came Lee Carsley as interim coach, and despite questions about him wanting the job or not, the U21 boss kept it cool.
Meanwhile, the English FA confirmed the appointment of former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel as Southgate’s successor in October. The 51-year-old will start work on January 1st, with interim boss Lee Carsley finishing the UEFA Nations League campaign before returning to his U21 role. He is one of the best football coaches in the world and there was excitement over his appointment.
Tuchel said: “I am very proud to have been given the honor of leading the England team.
“I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”
England were embarrassingly relegated from the top tier in 2022-23 and will be keen to storm back this term. England made a fine start to the campaign, winning their first two matches against Ireland and Finland without conceding a goal. However, a surprise 2-1 home loss to Greece has left them in a bad spot. However, they bounced back with a 3-1 win over Finland in Helsinki.
Just like the English side, Ireland has a new man at the helm after John O’Shea’s time in an interim capacity after Stephen Kenny’s departure came to an end. Former Iceland and Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has been handed the job to restore a sense of national pride. The 57-year-old takes the reins after Kenny’s miserable time, where they won only 11 of his 40 matches while in charge of the Boys in Green. Hallgrimsson was brought in after his brief spell with the Jamaican side.
Hallgrimsson, who was part of Lars Lagerback’s Iceland coaching team at Euro 2016, where they beat England, suffered a loss against the Three Lions in their Nations League opener and will be aiming for revenge here. However, they have only three wins from their past 14 games in all competitions. After the loss to England, Ireland lost to Greece before a win over Finland on match day three. Another defeat to Greece on match day four put them out of the fight for promotion, and they will now need to fight to remain in the second tier.
The Boys in Green have not prevailed over England since the 1988 Euros, drawing their next six battles before the Three Lions put three past them in a friendly in 2020 and a 2-0 loss last September.
England and the Republic of Ireland have met 17 times. Among them, England has won Seven games, the Republic of Ireland has won twice, and eight games have produced stalemates.
Match tickets
The epic match at Wembley Stadium in London will kick off at 17:00 GMT on Sunday, November 17th, 2024.
The 90,000-capacity stadium will host this clash between the English side and the Irish contingent.
Getting England v Republic of Ireland tickets could take a lot of work, given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Interim England boss Carsley handed call-ups to the likes of Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, and Morgan Gibbs-White, in last month’s window. However, one would expect a sizable number of the main group to make a return to the squad for this month’s doubleheader. Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, and Bukayo Saka could all start behind Harry Kane for this game.
England XI: Dean Henderson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Kyle Walker; Angel Gomes, Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice; Harry Kane.
It is Hallgrimsson’s third Ireland squad, the 57-year-old will look to get his side to function well after becoming permanent manager last month. 19-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson will be vying for the central spot alongside the likes of Callum Robinson, Adam Idah, and Troy Parrott, but there may be space for two number nines in Hallgrimsson’s system.
Republic of Ireland XI: Caoimhin Kelleher; Robbie Brady, Liam Scales, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Chiedozie Ogbene, Joshu Cullen, Jason Knight, Sammie Szmodics; Troy Parrott, Evan Ferguson.
Prediction
England has been playing catch up to Greece in a group they should be topping. The Three Lions lost surprisingly to the Greek side in London, and that left them with a must-win situation if they wanted to finish at the top of the group. Games against Ireland are usually tough, and it is not shocking that they have produced a lot of stalemates.
On the other hand, Ireland has just started another building process. They are currently in no danger of relegation unless Finland manages to shock Greece in the other group game. It is going to be a difficult contest for them in London this time around.
Regardless of the previous outcome at Wembley Stadium, the Three Lions are expected to win this game.
England 2-0 Republic of Ireland
