To top this second-tier groupScotland will have to top Ukraine, who have beaten Armenia this afternoon when playing their home match in Poland.
🇺🇦 Ukraine continue their perfect run with an impressive 3-0 win over Armenia 💯#NationsLeague
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 11, 2022
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🇺🇦 Ukraine continue their perfect run with an impressive 3-0 win over Armenia 💯#NationsLeague
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 11, 2022
How did it go last time out for these two teams?
Not well for Ireland.
Better for Scotland.
What does that mean? James McClean gets his 93rd cap, and that surely means he is going for 100 caps. The Bossman has made sweeping changes, with a youthful attacking lineup of Troy Parrott, Michael Obafemi and Jason Knight. Jason Molumby, now of West Brom after his loan there from Brighton, steps into midfield. For Scotland, Grant Hanley and Scott McTominay come in for John Souttar and Stuart Armstrong, ahead of Billy Gilmour. A glance at social media suggests this is not a popular selection, though Gilmour’s fitness is perhaps a little lacking.
Anyway, Grant Hanley gives us the opportunity to retool this classic from Birkenhead’s finest.
Here are the teams
Scotland: Gordon, Hendry, Hanley, McKenna, Ralston, McTominay, McGregor, Robertson, McGinn, Christie, Adams. Subs: McCrorie, Kelly, Patterson, Souttar, Stewart, Gilmour, Taylor, Armstrong, Turnbull, Brown, Campbell, Hickey.
Irish: Kelleher, N Collins, Duffy, Egan, McClean, Browne, Cullen, Molumby, Parrott, Obafemi, Knight. Subs: O’Leary, Travers, Christie, Stevens, Robinson, Hourihane, Keane, Hendrick, O’Shea, Hogan, Hamilton, Lenihan.
Starting XI | Republic of Ireland v Scotland
Five changes to the team as Michael Obafemi gets his first start for Ireland 🇮🇪
Troy Parrott also comes into the team and Jayson Molumby comes into the midfield 👍#COYBIG • #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/xrC6ZRdTmr
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 11, 2022
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Starting XI | Republic of Ireland v Scotland
Five changes to the team as Michael Obafemi gets his first start for Ireland 🇮🇪
Troy Parrott also comes into the team and Jayson Molumby comes into the midfield 👍#COYBIG • #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/xrC6ZRdTmr
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 11, 2022
Your Scotland team for today’s UEFA Nations League match against Republic of Ireland.
Kick-off at 5pm, live on @PremierSportsTV.#IRLSCO pic.twitter.com/bTgFKPJ4R2
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 11, 2022
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Preamble
Bloody hell, the football’s still on. The Nations League continues with this battle of Celtic soul brothers, and there’s a little riding on it, namely the credibility of Stephen Kenny, Ireland’s manager, the Bossman Steo to those in the know, the Lossman Steo for those beginning to think that Ireland’s footballing cultural revolution has stalled. Losing to Ukraine’s second team on Wednesday was not much fun, and neither was the defeat in Armenia that preceded that. Scoring goals is a sincere problem, as is creativity in midfield. And there are those who wonder why the likes of Cyrus Christie and James McClean are still getting a runout.
At present, there’s far less pressure on Steve Clarke, the Caledonian manager, but Scotland are licking their wounds from their own defeat to Ukraine, in that playoff for a playoff that cost them a place in Qatar this November. A semblance of pride was saved by the midweek win over Armenia.
The last time these teams met was in 2015, a 1-1 draw in Dublin, and it was a dreadful game. Despite their geographical proximity they’ve met only eleven times, with four wins each. Two teams with similar ambitions, similar problems but Scotland having been rather more successful of late.
Oh yeah, and there’s Nations League points on the board in Group E, where Scotland head the table. Ireland are still yet to win a single Nations League match in its three iterations so far. Oh Steo.
Kickoff is at 5pm. Join me.
www.theguardian.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism