The Republic of Ireland women's team will face Italy this Friday in a friendly against Italy in Viola Park, Florence. Here's all you need to know about the upcoming friendly.
The game will be Eileen Gleeson's first as full-time manager of the Ireland team. The fixture will be closely followed by a match against Wales in Tallaght on Tuesday.
The Italy fixture will be the first international game to be played in Viola Park since opening of the the state-of-the-art training complex, the home base for ACF Fiorentina, in October 2023.
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Italy, who are 14th in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, finished second in their UEFA Nations League group, behind Spain, last year following on from competing in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Ireland squad will be without Denise O'Sullivan and Tyler Toland, who are currently recovering from injury. Peamount United's Erin McLaughlin and Jess Fitzgerald have both received call ups to the Ireland squad in the absence of O'Sullivan and Toland, making it Fitzgerald's first senior call up.
The squad also holds a series of Irish stars who did not make a lengthy appearance in last season's fixtures; Niamh Fahey, Liverpool captain will return, alongside her teammate Leanne Kiernan. Jess Ziu and Aoife Mannion will also return to the squad for the friendly on Friday after long-term injuries.
The first WNT squad of 2024 is here 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Baeye9vak0
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 15, 2024
The friendly will also be the first call up for newcomer Emily Murphy, who qualifies for the Ireland team through her Dublin-born father, coming from Wake Forest University.
Amber Barrett also received a recall to the Ireland squad after her omission from the last game against Hungary.
The FAI confirmed during the week that Jamie Finn had withdrew from the squad due to a cruciate injury suffered in training.
How To Watch The Game
The friendly will be live on RTÉ News Now, with coverage kicking off at 5:10pm Irish Time,
Ireland WNT Squad 2024
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University)
Friendly Fixtures
Friday, February 23 | Italy v Ireland, Viola Park, Florence, 5:15 pm Irish TimeTuesday, February 27 | Ireland v Wales (Cymru), Tallaght Stadium, 7:30 pm
