Eoin Harrington reporting from Stockholm
Ireland’s 3-0 home defeat to Sweden on Friday night was a sucker punch, after Eileen Gleeson’s side had played some of their best football of the last 12 months in the first half.
Ireland could easily have had three goals before half-time but, as the game progressed, Sweden regained control and ultimately showed their class to run out winners by an unfairly comfortable margin.
Even with a disappointing result, there is encouragement to be taken from Friday’s defeat. It was comfortably Ireland’s best performance yet in this group and, with some slightly more clinical finishing, it could have been a different story.
Just four days later, Gleeson’s side will face Sweden once more on Tuesday night in the Friends Arena in Stockholm. We’ve picked out the starting XI we think has the best shot at a result.
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The Ireland XI we want to see v Sweden in Stockholm
Formation: 5-4-1
Ireland’s two up top system worked well against Sweden on Friday night, but we’ve defaulted back to a system which brought them goalscoring joy in last year’s Nations League.
It’s a slight change, and Amber Barrett and Lily Agg are unfortunate to miss out given how well they performed in the Aviva Stadium.
However, we think overall this is the system which gives the best balance between nullifying the Swedish threat and giving Ireland a chance at creating meaningful chances – and the threat of Barrett, Agg, and co. off the bench gives them flexibility in the second half.
GK: Courtney Brosnan
Had a rare “off” night of sorts in the first game against Sweden but even that included two outstanding saves near the game’s end to keep the scoreline more respectable.
Never in doubt between the sticks, Ireland’s most reliable performer.
RWB: Aoife Mannion
31 May 2024; Aoife Mannion of Republic of Ireland in action against Matilda Vinberg of Sweden during the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship qualifying match between Republic of Ireland and Sweden at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Unlucky to miss out on the starting lineup last week, after a brilliant return to form for Manchester United this season.
Jess Ziu was brilliant in attacking areas on Friday, though Ireland’s threat noticeably waned once she moved deeper in the second half. We’re pushing Ziu higher up the pitch, with Mannion the natural choice to fall in at RWB.
RCB: Caitlin Hayes
The strongest of Ireland’s defenders on Friday night and coming off the back of a brilliant individual season with Celtic. Similar to Brosnan, extremely reliable in defence.
CB: Louise Quinn
Nobody needs to be reminded of how solid Louise Quinn has consistently been in an Ireland jersey over the years and she
A lock in the Irish defence, Quinn is one of five players who started the 2022 draw in Gothenburg we expect to see line out again on Tuesday evening in Stockholm.
LCB: Anna Patten
Has had a mixed start to her Ireland career thus far but still the best option to start on the left-hand-side of the back three.
LWB: Izzy Atkinson
3 June 2024; Izzy Atkinson during a Republic of Ireland women’s training session at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Atkinson comes off the back of an excellent second half to the club season, where she starred in Crystal Palace’s promotion to the WSL.
Surprisingly, she is yet to taste a minute of action in this qualifying group so far. Bringing her into the side allows for flexibility down the left with Katie McCabe – who she linked up well with during last year’s Nations League campaign.
RM: Jess Ziu
We’re pushing Jess Ziu up the pitch to capitalise on her excellent attacking ability and help to build on the more aggressive front-footed approach Ireland introduced on Friday night.
She was Ireland’s best player in the home game against Sweden, and impressed against Italy in February’s friendly – her first appearance for her country in 17 months.
CM: Ruesha Littlejohn
3 June 2024; Head coach Eileen Gleeson and Ruesha Littlejohn during a Republic of Ireland women’s training session at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
This one comes with an asterisk. Littlejohn missed Friday’s game through injury, and Eileen Gleeson said after the game in Dublin that she was also a doubt for the return fixture.
However, Gleeson revealed to us on Monday that she is available once again for selection. Her experience would be an invaluable addition to this midfield if she is fit enough to start. If she is not, we’ll go for Tyler Toland.
CM: Megan Connolly
Connolly was assured as ever in midfield on Friday and excelled in this formation towards the end of the Nations League campaign.
She has been far from a certainty to be named in the XI under Gleeson thus far but it would be a big surprise not to see her pulling the strings in the middle on Tuesday.
LM: Katie McCabe
31 May 2024; Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland during the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship qualifying match between Republic of Ireland and Sweden at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Recovering from Arsenal’s trip to Australia, McCabe was out of sorts against Sweden last week and the Ireland captain is yet to get going in this qualifying group so far.
We all know just how good she can be and hopefully the memory of Gothenburg 2022 will stir up something special from McCabe. Pushing her higher up the pitch with the potential for interchanging and linking up with Atkinson would make the left of Ireland’s attack feel like a genuine threat to the Sweden defence.
ST: Kyra Carusa
A toss-up here between a few solid options, Carusa has been an ever-present under Gleeson and is another player whose best period of the last 12 months came when this formation was deployed late last year.
With the formation change and Ireland looking to take the game to Sweden once again, she will hopefully be less isolated up front than she was at the beginning of this campaign.
The XI in full
At this stage, it is realistic to say that Ireland are mainly playing to build momentum going into a likely play-off place later this year, with automatic qualification almost certainly out of the question.
Nonetheless, a result on Tuesday would be a brilliant way to build on Friday’s encouraging performance – and this is the XI we think is most likely to get that result.
Ireland face Sweden in the Friends Arena in Stockholm on Tuesday evening. Kick-off is at 5:30pm Irish time, with the game live on RTÉ Two.
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