When is it on?
The Republic of Ireland will play Greece in their second game of the Nations League in League B, Group 2. The game kicks off at 7.45pm on Tuesday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
How can I watch it?
You can watch the game on RTÉ2; prematch build-up begins from 7.20pm. You can also watch the game on the RTÉ Player, or follow coverage on The Irish Times live blog.
What is the team news for the game?
Evan Ferguson will not be fit to start the game for Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson. Saturday was Ferguson’s first game since sustaining an ankle injury last March. Captain Séamus Coleman will miss the visit of Greece owing to the ankle injury that forced him off after an hour against England. His place in the squad will be taken by Udinese’s Festy Ebosele, on loan at Watford.
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O’Leary (Bristol City).
Defenders: Festy Ebosele (Watford), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Jake O’Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), Robbie Brady (Preston North End).
Midfielders: Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Alan Browne (Sunderland), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City).
Forwards: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town), Callum Robinson (Cardiff City), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).
What to watch out for from an Irish perspective?
Anything to improve on the poor performance against England in the first half at the Aviva on Saturday. As recent Euro 2024 finalists, England are an atypical side for this division, and outclassed Ireland in a 2-0 result that flattered the boys in green. Beating Greece at home is a more realistic aim, but already the pressure is building on the management team after a difficult start. A defeat would put Ireland on the back foot and looking over their shoulder at League C.
Hallgrímsson appears to have been delegating responsibility to assistant coaches John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy for these fixtures; will the Icelandic head boss take a more active role? Will the formation or personnel change? While Ferguson will not start up front, Ireland have some decent forward options. The issue is getting a hold on the game to give them a chance. Striker Adam Idah barely touched the ball near the opposition box against England. Without Josh Cullen in midfield, a big responsibility lies on Will Smallbone to carry a weak midfield, while if the management continues with five at the back, Ireland need to see more from the wing-back positions.
What are Greece like?
Gus Poyet is no longer at the helm as Greece, under new manager Ivan Jovanovic, beat Finland 3-0 in Athens on Saturday with two goals from Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis. They are a tricky side that had Ireland and Stephen Kenny’s number in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, beating Ireland home and away. Liverpool fans will know left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas, who generally deputises for Andy Robertson, while centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos starts for West Ham in the Premier League. They have 10 players based in their domestic league with the rest scattered across Europe.