Interim Irish manager John O'Shea will get his reign underway as the Republic of Ireland take on Belgium in an international friendly this Saturday night. Here's all you need to know about Ireland v Belgium.
O'Shea will hope to have a positive impact on this Irish team but will face a stern test in former RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco's Belgium side. The Belgians possess an array of talent and are gearing up for the European Championships in Germany this summer.
The sides last met in March 2022 mid Stephen Kenny era as Ireland came back twice to record a 2-2 draw.
READ HERE: Lee Carsley Definitively Shuts Door On Links To Ireland Job
When Is Ireland v Belgium?
The game will take place this Saturday 23rd March at the Aviva Stadium with kick off at 5pm.
What Channel is Ireland v Belgium?
The match will be live on Virgin Media Two with coverage beginning at 4pm.
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 | 𝗢’𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗮’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 🇮🇪
Go BTS at John O’Shea’s first training session as Interim Head Coach 🎥
Full episode 👉 https://t.co/1DNagwfHmj pic.twitter.com/rBivaDhZzj— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 19, 2024
Team News
Celtic defender Liam Scales and Excelsior striker Troy Parrott have both been ruled out of the squad after pulling up with injuries for their clubs. Ryan Manning was called into the squad on Friday. However, Joe Hodge and Andy Moran will come into the senior team after the U21s qualifier against San Marino.
The trio of Jake O'Brien, Sammie Szmodics and Finn Azaz are all expected to win their first caps in this international window, and may well feature in this game. There is much excitement around Szmodics as he comes into the squad in red hot form and could form a thrilling attacking quartet of Chiedozie Ogbene and Mikey Johnston as well as the supremely talented Evan Ferguson.
For Belgium, Romelu Lukaku has been ruled out of the game and left camp during the week. He joins Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois on the injury list.
