Sport

Egan eager to beat Greeks with his 'magnet head'

Republic of Ireland defender John Egan is prepared to add to his international goal tally against Greece tonight, following a lighthearted comment from his club teammate.

George Baldock, who plays for Greece through his grandmother, jokingly warned his Greek teammates about Egan's aerial prowess during set pieces. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Baldock stated, "He is a big danger at set-plays. He must have a magnet in his head because he always seems to attract the ball at set-plays."

The Sheffield United center-back has scored goals against the likes of Portugal, Scotland, and Armenia in previous games. Despite Egan giving Ireland the lead in matches in Faro and Glasgow, the team was unable to hold onto those leads.

The Cork native has been included in Ireland's matchday squad and will lead the team as captain tonight, in the absence of Seamus Coleman.

When asked about his teammate's "magnet head" comments, the 30-year-old said on Thursday, "As a center-back, if we get into the box and try to chip in with goals, it helps the whole team. We work a lot on our set pieces, and if we get a chance to get up there on the night, we want to make it count."

(Image: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Egan added, "George Baldock is a close friend of mine, and he has been a good addition to the Greece set-up, but there isn't much more I can say until after tomorrow night, for sure."

Ireland needs to kickstart their Euro 2024 campaign with a win tonight, after suffering a 1-0 loss to France in March. To prepare for the game against Greece, Ireland's squad has been in a warm weather camp in Turkey.

Egan acknowledged the excellent preparation that the warm weather camp provided ahead of the Athens game. He said, "A lot of preparation has gone into preparing for this game. We had a really important training camp to ensure everyone reached their peak.

"It's been great to bring everyone together, focus on our group dynamics, and concentrate our efforts. The staff have been brilliant, and we've had a really good training camp in Turkey. We're raring to go tomorrow night."

Ireland's game against Greece kicks off at 7.45pm.

Republic of Ireland Squad - Greece Match Day Squad

Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Southampton), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth)

Defenders: Matt Doherty (Atlético Madrid), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Nathan Collins (Wolverhampton Wanderers), John Egan (Sheffield United), Dara O'Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Darragh Lenihan (Middlesbrough)

Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Jeff Hendrick (Reading), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jamie McGrath (Wigan Athletic),

Forwards: Adam Idah (Norwich City), Michael Obafemi (Burnley), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur), Mikey Johnston (Vitória de Guimarães, on loan from Celtic)

UEFA EURO 2024 - Fixtures: