Sunday, March 29th is the date for a big clash in Euro 2016 qualifying group D, as Poland arrive in Dublin with the table currently looking like this:
Martin O'Neill has named his squad for the game, and we have a good idea of what he wants his starting eleven to be, but we thought it would be interesting to find out who the best eleven would be if we went purely on the individual player ratings for their performances in club matches his season.
Whoscored.com is the website we used, thanks to their comprehensive database of leagues all over the World, and here are the results:
Goalkeeper:
The first major talking point comes between the posts, as Charlton Athletic's Stephen Henderson is the highest rated goalkeeper this season. Henderson has never made a senior international appearance, despite being capped eight times for the U21s, and is not part of Martin O'Neill's squad. Millwall keeper David Forde will be picked should he be fit, and although he has been very solid in an Irish shirt, Millwall are struggling and thus Forde's rating has dropped as a result.
Defence:
Blackburn's Shane Duffy is another player not in Martin O'Neill's squad who is enjoying an excellent season in the Championship. The former Everton defender joined Blackburn in the summer and has been one of the highest rated defenders in the league. Seamus Coleman and Marc Wilson are likely to feature in O'Neill's team for the Poland match, and Ciaran Clark has been performing well for Villa as of late.
Midfield:
The midfield area features two Championship players who again are having very good seasons statistically, but have been overlooked for the Republic of Ireland squad, as both Brentford's Alan Judge and Millwall's Shaun Williams are impressing for their respective sides. Pilkington is in the squad, and McCarthy will definitely start should he remain fit.
Attack:
The all-Ipswich attack is perhaps unsurprising as both men are playing regularly for a side that is scoring on a consistent basis. Murphy is having the season of his life, and McGoldrick is chipping in with goals and assists from a slightly deeper role.
