Ireland v Finland today marks manager Stephen Kenny's home debut as he looks to build on Thursday's 1-1 draw with Bulgaria.
While the Aviva Stadium will have no fans inside to watch Ireland v Finland, thousands will be glued to their screens at home to see if Kenny can pick up his first win since taking over from Mick McCarthy. Captain Shane Duffy rescued a point in Sofia on Thursday with a late header and while there have been plenty of gags about the 1-1 draw/Duffy goal combo being indicative of previous regimes, you won't find any of those below as Kenny looks to further integrate his new style on the squad. Here's everything you need to know about Ireland v Finland today...
What time is kick-off?
The match will get underway at the Aviva Stadium at 5pm.
What channel is it on?
The game will be shown on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 4.30pm.
What's the team news?
On Thursday, Kenny's team lined up like so: Randolph; Doherty, Duffy, Egan, Stevens; Hendrick, Hourihane, McCarthy; O'Dowda, Idah, Connolly. This is the last game before October's crucial Euro 2020 qualifier with Slovakia and the manager has indicated that there could be a handful of changes as he looks to finalise his starting XI. Regular captain Seamus Coleman could be brought in, as could fellow stalwart James McClean. Much-admired youngster Jayson Molumby, meanwhile, could be in line for a senior international debut.
https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1302501789879513088
What's at stake?
Precious UEFA Nations League points, of course. Wales currently lead our group after beating Finland on Thursday while ourselves and Bulgaria have a point each.
How will we get on?
Hard to say. Finland have already secured qualification to Euro 2020, which will be their first appearance at a major tournament. They've got Fantasy Premier League hero Teemu Pukki up front but defeat to Wales shows that they can be got at. Having said that, it will probably end up a 1-1 draw with a Shane Duffy header. Damn, we almost made it.
(header pic: Shutterstock)
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