Ireland's Euro 2020 fate will be sealed if they fail to get a positive result in Slovakia next week, with Stephen Kenny set to face the first true test of his tenure as Ireland boss.
The preparation for the fixture is hardly going to be ideal. The manager will have very little time to train his players ahead of the game, with the squad flying out to Bratislava on Tuesday.
If Kenny didn't have enough headaches, he is now facing into a number of potential injury issues.
Centre back Darragh Lenihan was absent from the Blackburn Rovers squad for their 0-0 draw against Cardiff City, with the news soon emerging that a 'minor knee problem' was set to keep him out of international duty.
Darragh Lenihan picked up his injury late in training yesterday. Scan has shown a minor knee problem. Won’t be going away with Republic of Ireland, but hopefully will make the Nottingham Forest game in two weeks’ time.
— Rich Sharpe (@richsharpe89) October 3, 2020
Lenihan was highly likely to earn a first international cap since 2018 during the upcoming fixtures, meaning the Meath man will be hugely disappointed he will miss out.
There could also be an issue with captain Seamus Coleman.
The Everton man put in yet another excellent performance this afternoon during the win over Brighton, but he was forced off with an apparent hamstring issue midway through the second half.
Many were calling for Coleman to be reintroduced to the starting XI after Matt Doherty was given the nod at right back during last month's fixtures, but the decision could now be taken out of Stephen Kenny's hands.
There is no word yet on the severity of his injury, but a hamstring issue could leave him sidelined with only a few days to recover.
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