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Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland meet at the Aviva Stadium this evening in the Carling Nations Cup.
It is the first meeting between the two sides since 1999 when Northern Ireland managed to win the game 1-0. However, Republic of Ireland will be favourites tonight and they hold a better record overall.
Looking at the Carling Nations Cup as a whole, this is the second round of fixtures for this year’s competition. As things stand, Republic of Ireland and Scotland sit joint top of the table with a win a piece over Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
Unfortunately for the contest as a whole, the game will be seen as little more than a friendly fixture for both sides, but each team will want to take pride in their performance.
Given that it is the first time these two sides have met in 11 years, there will hopefully be a competitive edge to it. Of course Euro 2012 qualification is the priority, but both Giovanni Trapattoni and Nigel Worthington will want to win this one.
The build up to the match has been dominated by players withdrawing from the respective squads. After a long season for their clubs, many seem more keen to begin their summer holidays rather than play for their country and this has angered Republic of Ireland boss Trapattoni.
Following the withdrawal of Anthony Stokes due to tiredness, he said: “I spoke with our doctor this morning about this. Young players have a fun job. It is not a job like the working man’s. It is not a difficult job. For me it is an 11-month holiday.”
What the withdrawals do mean though is that other players have a chance to prove they have what it takes to perform on the international stage. Strength in depth is key after all.
Worthington is also missing several key players for tonight’s game with youth set to be given a chance.
There are also not likely to be too many Northern Ireland fans travelling to the game after many threatened to boycott the fixture because of the IFA’s decision to only give tickets to fans travelling on approved coaches.
Overall, there may be players missing for a game taking place at the end of a long season, but it will hopefully be a competitive contest with plenty of goals as both teams warm up for their next European Championship qualifiers.
