Republic of Ireland vs England  preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Two nations with newly appointed managers will square off against each other at the Aviva Stadium when England takes on the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, 7 September 2024.

55 days after their European Championship loss to Spain, England will be playing their first competitive game but this time under a new manager following the departure of Gareth Southgate.

The Three Lions endured a whirlwind campaign during the recently concluded European Championship in Germany where their performances most times received criticism despite only losing one game which was the final.

However, Gareth Southgate called it quits on his time with the Three Lions after 102 games as head coach. He’s now preceded by u21 European Championship winner, Lee Carsley who will look to begin his interim stint with a win against Ireland.

A shift in approach is widely anticipated under Carsley, who advocates for a fluid, attacking, and high-risk style of play. This approach, known as ‘Carsball,’ was instrumental in guiding England’s Young Lions to their first European Under-21 Championship victory in nearly four decades when they triumphed over Spain.

Returning to the top tier of the Nations League – from which England suffered an embarrassing relegation in the 2022-23 season – would mark an ideal beginning to this campaign. The Three Lions are also set to host Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, three days following their clash at the Aviva Stadium.

This marks the first competitive clash between these sides since a European Championship qualifier in November 1990, which finished 1-1, with Tony Cascarino equalizing David Platt’s opener. It will also be the first encounter between the Republic of Ireland and England on Irish soil since a scoreless draw in a June 2015 friendly.

This will also be England’s first match without Southgate at the helm since a 1-0 victory against Slovakia in September 2016, which was Allardyce’s sole game as manager. Carsley will aim for a favourable outcome, as only four managers, including caretakers, have lost their debut match in charge of the Three Lions.

Carsley is already familiar with a host of players he has worked with at underage levels. He handed call-ups to some participants of the side that won the u21 European Championship in July 2023, including Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs -White, Angel Gomes, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer.

Carley will hope for some positive results during his tenure in charge to secure the permanent managers job and lead his country into the 2026 World Cup. Fans are already scouring for World Cup 2026 tickets as they anticipate England doing well in the tournament, and Carsley will hope to be the man in charge.

Both teams enter this game with new manager’s in charge. Like their England counterparts, Ireland will also be heading to this clash with a new coach as former Iceland head coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson will be leading The Boys in Green on Saturday.

Hallgrímsson will aim to upset England once more, having co-managed Iceland with Lars Lagerbäck when they eliminated England from Euro 2016 in the last 16 with a 2-1 victory. Bora Milutinovic remains the only manager to have defeated England with two different countries, achieving it in 1985 with Mexico and again in 1993 with the United States.

The 57-year-old steps in as the permanent replacement for Stephen Kenny, whose attempts to end Ireland’s major tournament drought since Euro 2016 ended in disappointment, with just 11 victories in 40 matches leading the Boys in Green. After John O’Shea’s mixed interim stint, which saw wins over Hungary, an impressive draw against Belgium, and losses to Switzerland and Portugal, Hallgrímsson took charge following his brief tenure with Jamaica, where the Reggae Boyz had an underwhelming showing in the Copa America.

England will hope to bounce back from their Euro 2024 final pain to record victory against Ireland — who will also be ready to cause an upset against the European Championship finalist.

Republic of Ireland Vs England match details

• Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024
• Location: Dublin, Ireland
• Venue: Aviva Stadium
• Kick-off time: 05:00 PM BST, 04:00 PM UTC
• Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez

Match stats and head-to-head

• England and Ireland will be meeting for the first time in a competitive match since November 1990 in a European Championship qualifying match.

• Out of the last 14 matches between these two sides, seven have ended with a 1-1 scoreline.

• England are yet to win consecutive matches against Ireland since winning two in a row in 1980 and 1985.

• The Three Lions have conceded the opening goal in their last four matches — which was in the recently concluded European Championship.

• Ireland have a shambolic record in the UEFA Nations League, failing to win any of their first twelve matches in the competition (D5 L7). Their best run of results came in 2022 when they won two of their last four matches which came against Scotland and Armenia.

• Having led the Iceland team that knocked out England in the round of 16 in Euro 2016, Heimir Hallgrímsson is looking to become the first manager to defeat the Three Lions with two different nations since Bora Milutinovic did so with Mexico in 1985 and the United States in 1993.

• England have lost only one game in their last seven matches with the loss coming in the final of Euro 2024.

• Hallgrímsson will look to better Ireland’s record in the UEFA Nations League as Ireland have only finished third in the group stages of the last three tournaments.

Team news

England manager Carsley has shown confidence in some of his former Under-21 talents by including four uncapped players in his squad: Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Livramento, in particular, has benefited from Kieran Trippier’s retirement, Kyle Walker’s exclusion, and Ben White’s personal decision to stay out. Gibbs-White and Gomes’s chances of making their first start have improved following the withdrawals of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.

Additionally, Ollie Watkins, due to a fitness issue, joins Jude Bellingham, Ivan Toney, Luke Shaw, and Aaron Ramsdale as those unavailable for selection.

Carsley’s assertion that he sees Trent Alexander-Arnold as a right-back rather than in midfield bodes well for the Liverpool player’s chances of starting. Meanwhile, captain Harry Kane is set to earn his 99th cap, having been one of the joint-top scorers at the Euros despite facing some challenges.

On the Ireland side, Hallgrimsson’s first squad features two players aiming for their senior debuts: goalkeeper Max O’Leary and Leicester City forward Kasey McAteer. However, O’Leary will likely remain as backup to Caoimhin Kelleher.

Nine players from Ireland’s squad in June have been left out, including experienced defenders Shane Duffy and Enda Stevens. However, 35-year-old captain Seamus Coleman is still going strong and is poised to earn his 73rd cap on Saturday.

Brighton’s teenage forward, Evan Ferguson, is hoping to put a difficult injury period behind him and will compete for the central forward role alongside Callum Robinson, Adam Idah, and Troy Parrott. There is also a possibility that Hallgrimsson may accommodate two central strikers in his system.

Predicted starting lineup

Republic of Ireland predicted starting lineup:

Kelleher; Coleman, O’Shea, Collins, Brady; Ogbene, Browne, Smallbone, O’Dowda; Ferguson, Idah.

England predicted starting lineup:

Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Colwill; Rice, Mainoo; Saka, Eze, Gordon; Kane.

Prediction

Both teams will be starting a new leaf under new managers who will be looking to exert their style and system into the team.

However, England possesses more quality players and acclimatizing with Carsley’s style won’t be difficult as most of the team have played together for long.

It’s different for the Irish team who have been inconsistent in performances, leading to the incessant change of manager.

While playing on home soil will give The Boys in Green the morale boost, England’s superiority in quality should prevail on Saturday

We’re predicting a 3-1 win for England.