Denise O'Sullivan has claimed the pressure won't get to the Irish players ahead of their play-off final first-leg tie against Wales in Cardiff tomorrow.
Ireland and Wales will battle it out for a place in Switzerland at the European Championships next summer with matches tomorrow and next week. For Wales, it would mean their first-ever major tournament, while Ireland would secure their second major tournament qualification and their first-ever Euro tournament appearance.
Wales are among the bookies' favourites due to the home advantage and the fact they beat Ireland 2-0 back in February. However, Ireland is ranked 24th in the world—five places higher than Wales. They will also be confident after hammering Georgia 9-0 over two legs last month.
There is big pressure on Eileen Gleeson’s side tomorrow, but O'Sullivan has claimed the Ireland squad will remain cool, calm, and collected, starting with the trip to Cardiff.
In the zone ✅#COYGIG pic.twitter.com/cTveDBHQlK
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 28, 2024
“We know there’s a lot of pressure, but I think we're more prepared than ever, and we can handle that,” said O'Sullivan to reporters on Thursday. “We, as players, do have these little conversations. I think the only conversations we're having are about how excited we are and how prepared we are for this game against Wales. We're all looking forward to it.
“It’s just about remaining calm in camp and preparing as well as I can every single day. For me, some younger players look up to me. We just keep them calm and answer any questions they have. They know that we’re there.”
A big loss in the first leg will make it nearly impossible for Ireland or Wales to make it to the European Championships. Gleeson does not believe this will happen though and is expecting a cagey affair in Cardiff tomorrow.
“I don’t think either team will want to be going in trailing two or three goals down,” added the Ireland manager. “It’s critical for both teams to remain in the tie for the second leg. We’ll have home advantage for the second leg.”
UEFA EURO 2025 Qualifying Play-Off
Round 2, First Leg
Cymru v Ireland
Friday, November 29th
Cardiff City Stadium
KO 19:15
LIVE on RTÉ2/RTÉ / RTÉ Player
UEFA EURO 2025 Qualifying Play-Off
Round 2, Second Leg
Ireland v Cymru
Tuesday, December 3rd
Aviva Stadium
KO 19:30
LIVE on RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player
See More: Denise O'Sullivan, Football, Ireland
