Ireland return to UEFA Nations League action on Thursday evening, as they travel to take on Finland in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s charges will still be hurting from last month’s double-header of defeats in Dublin to England and Greece, with the Icelandic coach already under pressure to get a result from his back-to-back away days this time around.
After Helsinki comes Athens for a re-match with Greece, and Hallgrímsson has rung the changes in the Ireland squad for these two games. Seven new faces have come in, with six players dropping out of the squad from September (seven outgoing stars when Callum O’Dowda’s injury-enforced absence is taken into account).
Ireland are up against it but, with the right team selection, they could receive an injection of hope with a positive result against Finland on Thursday.
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The Ireland team we want to see v Finland
Formation: 4-2-3-1
We’ve gone for much the same formation that was used by Heimir Hallgrímsson in last month’s defeat to Greece.
Though things turned sour in the second half, there were some isolated encouraging signs in the opening 45 and, with the right personnel changes, we think it’s the setup with the best chance of getting a positive result.
GK: Caoimhín Kelleher
A simple choice between the sticks, Caoimhín Kelleher has continued his impressive form when given a chance at club level this season.
He did miss Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday – during which #1 Alisson came off injured – due to illness, perhaps the only cause to doubt Kelleher’s position in the starting XI. However, he has trained with the squad in Abbotstown this week, suggesting he has made a full recovery from his illness.
LB: Liam Scales
11 June 2024; Liam Scales of Republic of Ireland during the international friendly match between Portugal and Republic of Ireland at Estádio Municipal de Aveiro in Aveiro, Portugal. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Celtic’s defeat in Dortmund may have been an ugly affair for all involved but, for the most part, Liam Scales has been in impressive form for the Scottish champions this season.
It was a surprise to see Scales warm the bench for all 180 minutes of the last international window and it would be equally surprising were he not to feature this time around.
Left-back is admittedly not Scales’ natural home but it is something of a problem position for Hallgrímsson. Robbie Brady put in two poor performances on the left of defence against England and Greece, while Callum O’Dowda has been ruled out through injury. With Ireland’s centre-back duo both in form, this may be the spot for Scales to slot in.
CB: Dara O’Shea
Dara O’Shea has slowly established himself in Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side as they adjust to life in the Premier League.
Though it has been a ropey start to the season for the Tractor Boys, O’Shea has generally been dependable. His partnership with Nathan Collins is the closest Ireland have to an established pairing in any area of the pitch, and it’s hard to see Hallgrímsson tinkering with that formula for the game against Finland.
CB: Nathan Collins
It has been a solid start to the season for Brentford, who have earned ten points from their first seven games in the Premier League. Their only three defeats have come against high-flying Liverpool, Manchester City, and Spurs, with Thomas Frank’s team in impressive form in recent weeks.
Central to that has been their Irishman at centre-back, with Nathan Collins playing every minute of the campaign thus far for the Bees. He got his first goal of the season in Saturday’s thrilling victory over Wolves and is one of the few locks in this Ireland team.
Could be a contender to captain the side in Seamus Coleman’s absence.
RB: Festy Ebosele
7 October 2024; Festy Ebosele and Evan Ferguson, right, during a Republic of Ireland training session at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
With Coleman out injured and Matt Doherty dropped from the squad, there is the chance for Heimir Hallgrímsson to take a leap of faith at right-back.
Festy Ebosele has been on the fringes of this Ireland team for some time now off the back of positive performances for Serie A with Udinese. Towards the back end of last season, he fell out of favour in Italy. However, a loan move to Watford has boosted his minutes this campaign, and the Wexford man remains a hugely exciting prospect.
There is a chance Hallgrímsson will stick with Andrew Omobamidele at right-back but we hope to see him make a bold call and throw Ebosele in from the start.
CDM: Josh Cullen
Josh Cullen returns to the squad having missed the September window through injury and we fully expect him to slot straight back into the starting XI.
Cullen has returned to the Burnley starting lineup in the weeks since his injury, with the club on a five-game unbeaten run with Cullen back. He is an established part of this Ireland team and it would be a surprise to see him missing from Thursday’s starting XI.
CDM: Jayson Molumby
It was a mixed bag from Jayson Molumby in the September international window, with the West Brom man showing passion while struggling to establish himself on the ball.
The presence of Cullen alongside him should hopefully steady Molumby and, with a result needed in Helsinki, his passion and aggression off the ball could massively help Ireland to stifle Finland.
LM: Jamie McGrath
21 November 2023; Jamie McGrath of Republic of Ireland in action against Michael Boxall of New Zealand during the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
It was perplexing that Jamie McGrath was not even named in the squad for the home games against England and Greece, after an electric start to the season with Aberdeen.
The 28-year-old has four goals and two assists in seven games for the Dons so far in the Scottish Premiership, as they sit tied on points with league leaders Celtic. Left-wing was a position from which Ireland had next to no joy in the last set of games, so one hopes that the introduction of the squad’s most in-form attacker will inject some creativity.
CAM: Jason Knight
Jason Knight was one of the few players who came out of the defeat to Greece with some credit, having put in an industrious display in attack – particularly during the brighter first half.
Since that window, Knight’s form has improved at club form. He continues to captain Bristol City and has chalked up a goal and an assist in his last four games – a run which has seen the team go unbeaten. He is the best of a mixed bag of options as an attacking presence in midfield.
RM: Chiedozie Ogbene
Alongside Kelleher, Collins, and Cullen as the only locks in this Ireland XI.
Chiedozie Ogbene has been consistently impressive for Ireland and has established himself as a key force in the Ipswich setup in recent weeks. His inclusion needs little explanation and his energy will be crucial if Ireland are to get a result against Finland.
Should this line-up be chosen, it will be intriguing to see how he links up with Festy Ebosele down the right-hand side.
ST: Troy Parrott
4 June 2024; Troy Parrott of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Hungary at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
The lack of game-time afforded to Troy Parrott in Heimir Hallgrímsson’s first two games in charge looks worse in hindsight, with Parrott having kept up his goalscoring form for AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie.
He is Ireland’s most in-form striker and deserves to be given a chance to lead the line against Finland.
Complete line-up
It’s clear that changes are required from last month’s humbling Nations League window. Though our lineup maintains the formation favoured by Heimir Hallgrímsson against Greece, we think the fresh faces in the team give Ireland the best chance of getting a result against Finland.
Ireland take on Finland in Helsinki on Thursday evening. Kick-off is at 7:45pm Irish time, with the game live on RTÉ 2.