West Ham United’s Armstrong Oko-Flex receives a first call-up to the U21s while Southampton’s Will Smallbone and Derby County’s Festy Ebosele also return to the squad following injury.

Ireland take on Italy at Tallaght Stadium on Friday, November 12 before hosting Sweden four days later on Tuesday, November 16.

Ireland’s two opponents occupy the top two spots of Group F while Crawford and co.sit in fourth behind them and Montenegro.

The Republic of Ireland are hoping to bounce back from their loss to the Balkan nation in Podgorica and keep themselves in contention for a spot at 2023’s UEFA European U-21 Championship in Romania and Georgia.

Both matches will be shown live on RTÉ 2.

Tickets to both European Championship qualifiers are now on sale with admission for both games available for €15 for adults, €8 for children and €30 for a family ticket (two adults and two children) – Ticketmaster service charges apply.

Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), David Odumosu (Drogheda United), Luke McNicholas (Cliftonville, on loan from Sligo Rovers)

Defenders:  Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Festy Ebosele (Derby County), Andy Lyons (Bohemians) Oisin McEntee (Greenock Morton, on loan from Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Tranmere Rovers, on loan from Celtic)

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (Peterborough United, on loan from West Ham United) Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Ryan Johansson (Fortuna Sittard, on loan from Seville), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Ross Tierney (Bohemians)

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Liam Kerrigan (UCD), Armstrong Oko-Flex (West Ham United), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa)

UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifiers – Group F

2022 UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifier
Republic of Ireland v Italy
Friday, November 12
Tallaght Stadium
KO 5:30 pm
LIVE on RTÉ2

2022 UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifier
Republic of Ireland v Sweden
Tuesday, November 16
Tallaght Stadium
KO 7 pm
LIVE on RTÉ2

The post Ireland Men’s U21 squad named for Italy and Sweden qualifiers appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The match will be played in front of a sold-out crowd that has been capped by Covid restrictions.

The winner of UEFA Group A will earn automatic qualification to the next Women’s World Cup while the team that finishes in second will enter into the play-offs if they are one of the three best runner-ups among all nine UEFA groups.

Ireland ended a seven-game losing streak in their most recent outing, beating Australia 3-2 in front of fans in Tallaght and will hope for a repeat of fortunes on Thursday evening.

Four of the six teams they faced in that dismal run currently occupy a place in the top 20 of FIFA’s World rankings.

Vera Pauw’s side will play their first game in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup qualification campaign and are the only side yet to play a game.

The Republic of Ireland were meant to have played Georgia in their opening Group A game last month but that was rescheduled until June 2022.

Sweden, on the other hand, sit first in the group with two wins from two against Georgia and Slovakia and are yet to concede.

The World number two national team will hope to earn their place at the upcoming World Cup and improve upon their third-place finish in 2019 and continue the form that earned them a silver medal at Tokyo 2020.

Ireland have never played at a World Cup and sit 33rd in the world, eight places behind Finland who are also in their group.

Captain Caroline Seger scored a brace in the Blue and Yellow’s last match, a 4-0 win over Georgia, and leads the way on the scoring charts in the group.

Three other goalscorers have found the net for the Swedes in the competition so far and Peter Gerhardsson’s team will be sure to give the Irish defence a headache.

“The target for us is to qualify,” Vera Pauw noted. “We fully understand how difficult our group is with four tough opponents in Sweden, Finland, Slovakia and Georgia.

“But we must believe in ourselves, work as hard as we can, and show the world that we are ready for this.

“Sweden are a fantastic team. They finished as runners-up in the Tokyo Olympics and are ranked second in the world.

“We know all about their quality but it is up to us – as a team collectively – to embrace this challenge. We hope that playing in front of our fantastic fans will also help us.

“I’ve said it so many times and every time I feel it in my bones: the Irish fans are really special!

“There is no doubt that they help to drive the team on during difficult periods and inspire them to keep working hard.

“It definitely had an impact in our win over Australia and I hope to experience the same again in front of a sold-out crowd.”

Teams

Republic of Ireland: Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, L. Quinn, McCarthy, O’Gorman; L.J. Quinn, O’Sullivan, Connolly, McCabe; Payne.

Subs: Walsh, Scott, Caldwell, Kiernan, Barrett, Maloney, Farrelly, Grant, Noonan, Clancy, McLaughlin, Badana.

Sweden: Lindahl; Glas, Ilestedt, Eriksson, Andersson; Bennison, Rolfo, Angeldal; Jakobsen, Blackstenius, Hurtig.

Subs: Kullberg, Fischer, Janogy, Rytting Kaneryd, Falk, Blomqvist, Olme, Curmark, Anvegard, Musovic, Schough, Rubensson.

Where To Watch

The game will kick-off at 7 pm and will be available to watch live on RTÉ 2, with coverage starting at 6:30 pm.

The post Republic of Ireland v Sweden – Preview, Team News, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa, Aidemo Emakhu, Cristiano Fitzgerald, Oisin Gallagher, Cian Hayes, Johnny Kenny, Jevon Mills, Josh Seary and Harry Vaughan are all set to don the green for the first time.

Mohan will take his squad to the south of Spain as he prepares for the UEFA Under-19 European Qualifiers in Bulgaria next month – Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro are all in Ireland’s group.

The Boys in Green face Sweden MU19 on Friday, October 8 and again on Monday, October 11.

Friday’s game will be 689 days since Tom Mohan was last on the touchline for an international fixture, a qualifier against Austria in November 2019.

Speaking about the almost two-year wait to return to action, Mohan said: “We’re really looking forward to the return to matches.

“The squad we’ve selected is a culmination of hard work from our MU19s staff and FAI scouts in Ireland and the UK who have covered numerous games. It has allowed us to monitor and assess a large group of players during assessment days and training camps in Ireland and England prior to selecting the squad for these friendly games against Sweden.

“It’s so good to finally have clarity that games can go ahead. We’re delighted to have a squad together again after preparing for such a long time and no doubt Sweden will be a tough opponent. They are a strong well organised side with quality attacking Players which will provide a test for us and that’s what we want.

“I’m sure there will be a good edge to the games as Players will be fighting for places for the European qualifiers.”

Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-19 Squad 

Goalkeepers: Arlo Doherty (Leicester City), Dan Rose (Schalke 04)

Defenders: James Abankwah (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Tayo Adaramola (Crystal Palace),  Val Adedokun (Brentford), Bosun Lawal (Celtic), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (Wolfsburg), Jevon Mills (Hull City), Josh Seary (Preston North End)

Midfielders: John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa (Getafe), Kian Corbally (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Evan Caffrey (UCD), Oisin Gallagher (Lincoln City), Ben McCormack (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Ed McJannett (Luton Town), Harry Vaughan (Oldham Athletic)

Forwards: Aidomo Emakhu (Shamrock Rovers)*, Cristiano Fitzgerald (Boavista), Zak Gilsenan (Blackburn Rovers), Cian Hayes (Fleetwood Town), Johnny Kenny (Sligo Rovers)**, Jamie Mullins (Bohemians), Luke Pearce (Southampton)

*Will join up with the MU19s after game one.
**Will join up with MU19 after game one, subject to Under-21s call-up.

International Friendly Fixtures (all times are Irish time) 

Friday, October 8 | Sweden MU19 v Republic of Ireland MU19, TBC, KO 2.30 pm
Monday, October 11 | Republic of Ireland MU19 v Sweden MU19, TBC, 11 am

The post Nine players set for Ireland U19 debut against Sweden appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Andriy Shevchenko’s side came into the game as the underdogs in the eyes of the bookies but sustained early pressure led to an opener courtesy of City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.

A sumptuous ball from forward Andriy Yarmolenko put it on a plate for the 24-year-old, who volleyed it beyond Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Seb Larsson almost caught out Ukraine’s keeper Heorhiy Bushchan with a quick free-kick but the Ukrainian saved his blushes.

A few minutes before half-time, Alexander Isak laid the ball off for Sweden’s top scorer at Euro 2020, Emil Forsberg, who fired home from 25 yards out.

The Swede’s goal brought his tally for the tournament up to four, one behind current top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and the Swedish single major tournament record holder Kennet Andersson.

3 – Emil Forsberg is the first Swedish player to score in three consecutive major tournament appearances since Kennet Andersson at the 1994 World Cup, who is also the only Swedish player to net more at a single major tournament than Forsberg's 4 at #EURO2020 (5 in 1994). Streak. pic.twitter.com/g9qA4l0n0b

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 29, 2021

Sweden showed their quality in the second half, dominating the game and coming close to finding a winner several times.

Forsberg hit the woodwork twice while Juventus prospect Dejan Kulusevski forced a save from Bushchan and could not convert a late chance.

The final last 16 tie of Euro 2020 became the fourth to go to extra time – the most-ever in a single knockout round in the competition.

Extra-time saw things change for the worse for the Scandinavians when their centre-back Marcus Danielson saw red for a reckless studs-up tackle.

It was the Swede’s first red card of his international career – a yellow was given at first before a VAR review changed referee Daniele Orsato’s mind.

Ukraine’s man-advantage helped them to gain momentum and retain possession throughout extra time.

Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi came close to scoring but scuffed his shot wide.

As the clock ticked and the full-time whistle for the end of extra-time drew near, penalties appeared to be the most likely option.

However, a stunning cross from Zinchenko found the head of Artem Dovbyk who headed in the winner in the dying moments of the game to make history for Ukraine.

121 – Timed at 120:37, Artem Dovbyk has scored the second-latest goal in European Championship history, behind Semih Sentürk v Croatia in 2008 (121:01), and the latest match-winning strike in the competition, overtaking Michel Platini v Portugal in 1984 (118:53). Gasp. #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/LAXcVAAvxw

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 29, 2021

Andriy Shevchenko’s side will be the first Ukraine side in the last eight of the European Championships, having become the first to reach the last 16 after their successful group stage.

Sweden failed to deliver on the promise of their Group E win and will go home without the chance to get revenge on England for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final loss.

Ukraine will play England on Saturday, July 3rd at the Stadio Olimpico at 8:00 pm.

The post Euro 2020: Shevchenko’s Ukraine Book Date With England appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The four that will contest it are Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.

Each side has noticeable flaws that can be exploited by the opposition on any given day.

POLAND

Poland enters this tournament with the same squad they always enter tournaments with – Robert Lewandowski and the other guys.

However, that view is unfair on Poland.

Their side may rely on Lewandowski, but the quality is visible across the pitch in Paulo Sousa’s setup. 

Six players scored 30+ goals across Europe's top five divisions, Champions League and Europe league in 2020/21.

Only Robert Lewandowski hit 40+. pic.twitter.com/L7khevYGLP

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 31, 2021

Mateusz Klich and Piotr Zielinski will look to improve upon impressive seasons at their respective clubs.

They will provide the midfield engine for the Eastern European side.

Centre-back Jan Bednarek and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will be the key defensive options for Sousa’s Poland but there is a considerable lack of adequate depth when compared to the bigger sides in the tournament.

Nonetheless, their first-choice eleven should do enough to progress.

SLOVAKIA

Slovakia entered the European Championships via the Nations League play-offs.

They beat both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to earn their spot.

However, their results are very up-and-down, and their star names are not enough for consistency.

Marek Hamsik, Milan Skriniar, Ondrej Duda and Martin Dubravka are all part of the current Slovakian core.

Their goalscoring threat is quite low with just 15 goals in 18 games since 2019.

The squad is not strong enough to offer a huge threat to the rest of Group E.

SPAIN

Spain, on the other hand, has brought a strong side to the Euros, albeit an underwhelming 24-man strong side.

Star defender Sergio Ramos was snubbed due to a lack of match fitness while Eric Garcia got in after making half as many appearances as the former.

Spanish boss Luis Enrique has brought the French-born Aymeric Laporte in from the international wilderness, called up the exceptional Marcos Llorente, and assembled an all-star midfield, but the forwards lack options.

Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno looks set to lead the line for the three-time European Championship winners, but Alvaro Morata does not inspire confidence and most of the options have not had consistent spells of good form this season.

Their recent stalemate against Portugal in Madrid is a clear example of their struggles in the final third.

Regardless, La Roja is a clear favourite to win this group and have a home advantage for their games.

SWEDEN

Finally, we come to Sweden.

The Swedes are bringing one of the oldest sides to the European Championships this summer with an average age of 29.2.

Their goalkeeping options inspire as much confidence as their backline would – not a lot.

Their most exciting play will take place on the wings and through the middle, where the best of their talents resides.

Emil Forsberg and Dejan Kulusevski are available on either side of their centre-midfielders while Robin Quaison, Jordan Larsson, Marcus Berg, and Alexander Isak can all play through the middle.

Sweden has failed to beat many of the heavy hitters in Europe over the recent years but poses a strong threat to their competition in Group E.

Group E Fixtures:

Poland v Slovakia Monday, 14th June 17:00.

Spain v Sweden Monday 14th June 20:00.

Sweden v Slovakia Friday, 18th June 14:00.

Spain v Poland Saturday, 19th June 20:00.

Sweden v Poland Wednesday, 23rd June 17:00.

Slovakia v Spain Wednesday, 23rd June 17:00

Betting

The post Euro 2020 Group E – Team by Team Preview, Fixtures, Betting, Group Table appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.