Ireland squad sees ace return to the fold after two years for Euros play-off

ELLEN Molloy has been recalled to the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time since 2022 for next week’s crunch clash with Georgia.

The squad of 26 players has been selected for the Euro 2025 qualification semi-final play-off.

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The squad will travel to Tbilisi for the first leg against Georgia on Friday, October 25, which will kick off at 8pm local time (5pm Irish time), before hosting at 7:30pm in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday, October 29.

Both games will be broadcast live on RTÉ2.

Injuries rule out Megan Campbell (ankle), Jess Ziu (knee), Ruesha Littlejohn (Achilles) and Jamie Finn (knee), while Emily Murphy is unavailable.

Both Heather Payne and Kyra Carusa return after missing the qualifiers in July against England and France.

Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan will not be involved in the first leg in Tbilisi due to suspension, so she will link up with the squad on their return to Dublin.

Meath native Katie Keane earns a second senior call-up following a superb season with Athlone Town, where she recorded 10 clean sheets as her team won the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division title.

She will report into camp after the Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup Final against Shelbourne on Sunday.

Tickets are selling well for the second leg in Tallaght Stadium but supporters are encouraged to secure their seat early to avoid missing out.

IRELAND WNT SQUAD

• Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic), Katie Keane (Athlone Town)

• Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Sunderland, on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Anna Patten (Aston Villa)

• Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Ellen Molloy (Sheffield United), Heather Payne (Everton), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace), Eva Mangan (Cork City)

• Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Julie-Ann Russell (Galway United), Marissa Sheva (Portland Thorns)

Ireland are ranked 25th in the world whilst the Georgians are 119th.

The two teams previously met during the 2023 World Cup qualification, where Ireland emerged victorious with an 11-0 win in Tallaght and a 9-0 win in Gori.

Should Ireland advance past Georgia, they will then play either Slovakia or Wales in the final qualifying round, which consists of two legs scheduled for November 29 and December 3.

Ireland would host the second leg of that tie.

Slovakia, ranked 50th globally, and Wales, ranked 31st, are the potential opponents.

Wales notably defeated Ireland 2-0 in a friendly at Tallaght Stadium earlier this year.

Despite finishing at the bottom of their qualification group, Ireland secured a spot in the play-offs due to their promotion to League A after a successful UEFA Nations League campaign last year

A crucial 3-1 victory against France in their final qualifier at Páirc Uí Chaoimh ensured their seeded status for the play-offs.