Eileen Gleeson has claimed that her Ireland players aren't going to allow France to have an easy ride ahead of their clash later today at the Saint-Symphorien Stadium in Metz. The aim of the game is to compete and win, according to the Dublin native.
Ireland begin their UEFA EURO 2025 qualification campaign with a tough task against one of the world's best, and the game later will tell a lot about where the current Irish team stands under Gleeson's leadership.
During her tenure, the side has gone from strength to strength, but as a reward for their progress and excellent displays, the tests will now come thick and fast.
“To win. We are coming here to compete, to try and win the game, and to affect the game in whatever way we can," she said.
“That has to be the starting point; we are coming to win the game. I know it is a challenge given the quality of the opposition, but you can’t start way back because you will drop down further.
“So we talk about competing, and we talk about trying to win the game.
“This is where we want to be, and this is the draw we got."
Tomorrow night, the next chapter begins. 🇮🇪⚽️
France away, followed by England under the lights @AVIVAStadium on Tuesday night.
Let’s show our @irelandfootball Women’s National Team that we’re behind them all the way.#OUTBELIEVE | #COYGIG pic.twitter.com/enYkbHOMe7— Sky Ireland (@SkyIreland) April 4, 2024
France, who are currently ranked third in the FIFA women's rankings, are expected to keep the ball for large periods tonight, and this is something that Gleeson feels her players will need to be aware of in how they react out of possession during the game.
“We expect France to have more of the ball than us, so what we must do is be super prepared to be out of possession and do that well. That’s a real feature for us," Gleeson added.
“But in the moments that we do transition, we must be clinical and exploit the spaces.”
Ireland will welcome back midfield lynchpin and Cork native Denise O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, capped 109 times, missed the February friendlies against Italy and Wales. She claims she is now ready to go.
“I was playing a preseason game against Orlando a day before the international camp when I got in for a tackle that sustained bone bruising on my knee," she added.
“I was out for a few weeks; it was just bad timing, honestly, but now I’m ready to go.”
MATCH DETAILS
UEFA EURO 2025 Qualifier
Group A3
France vs. Ireland
Friday, April 5
Saint-Smyphorien Stadium, Metz
KO 20:10 (Irish Time)
LIVE on RTÉ2
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Maria Caputi (Italy)
Assistant Referee 1: Francesca Di Monte (Italy)
Assistant Referee 2: Tiziana Trasciatti (Italy)
Fourth Official: Alice Gagliardi (Italy)
Predicted line-ups
France: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin; Maelle Lakrar, Griedge Mbock Bathy, Eve Perisset, Sakina Karchaoui; Sandie Toletti, Kenza Dali; Selma Bacha, Kadidiatou Diani, Antoinette Katoto; Delphine Cascarino
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne, Caitlin Hayes, Louise Quinn, Aoife Mannion, Katie McCabe; Tyler Toland, Megan Connolly, Denise O'Sullivan; Jess Ziu; Kyra Carusa
