Ireland Under-21s face Türkiye in Istanbul as they look to continue their push for qualification to the U21 EURO Finals.
The young Boys in Green won 7-0 in their last competitive game against San Marino in March and followed it up with a 3-2 win over Croatia and a draw with England in June.
It will be the first of two UEFA European Under-21 Qualifiers in this window, with the second coming against Latvia on Tuesday in Tallaght Stadium, with tickets available here.
The fixture is the return game of last year’s five-goal thriller that saw Aidomo Emakhu score deep into injury time to win the game 3-2 for Ireland.
Fixture: Türkiye Under-21 v Ireland Under-21
Date: Friday, September 6
Kick-off: 5.45pm (Irish time) / 7.45pm (local time)
Venue: Esenler Stadium, Istanbul
Match coverage: RTÉPlayer & News Channel
Final session before taking on Türkiye 💪
Our Under-21s get down to work in Istanbul ahead of their U21 EURO Qualifier ⚽️☘️
🇹🇷 v 🇮🇪
📅 Friday
📍 Esenler Stadium, Istanbul
⌚️ KO 5.45pm (IST)
📺 Live on RTÉPlayer/ RTÉ News Channel#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/pP3ffNQfwB— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) September 5, 2024
Squad information: Ireland have no injury concerns ahead of the game.
What they said?
Republic of Ireland Under-21s captain Joe Hodge: “We all know what the challenge will be (Türkiye) but we know what the rewards are if we do it right. If we get the job done, we’ll be in a great position, but there’s still be work to do. We’ll be giving it our best shot to get three points tomorrow.”
Republic of Ireland Head Coach Jim Crawford: “I’m looking forward to the game; I know the players are. It’s an exceptionally tough game, no doubt about it. They were a difficult team when we played them in Turner’s Cross; they have a lot of really good players.
“But for us, it’s about not having fear. One of the lessons from the last campaign is that if an opportunity comes your way, you have to take it.”
Ireland Under-21 Squad
Goalkeepers: Tiernan Brooks (Gateshead), Killian Cahill (Brighton & Hove Albion), Josh Keeley (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders: James Abankwah (Udinese), Emmanuel Adegboyega (Dundee United, on loan from Norwich City), Sam Curtis (Peterborough United, on loan from Sheffield United), James Furlong (Wimbledon, on loan from Hull City), Anselmo Garcia-MacNulty (PEC Zwolle), Alex Murphy (Newcastle United), Connor O’Riordan (Cambridge United, on loan from Blackburn Rovers), Sean Roughan (Lincoln City)
Midfielders: Baba Adeeko (Wigan Athletic), Matt Healy (Royal Francis Borains), Joe Hodge (Huddersfield Town, on loan from Wolves), Andrew Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Killian Phillips (St. Mirren, on loan from Crystal Palace), Rocco Vata (Watford)
Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (Bristol City), Aidomo Emakhu (Millwall), Johnny Kenny (Shamrock Rovers, on loan from Celtic), Mark O’Mahony (Portsmouth, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Ollie O’Neill (Leyton Orient), Armstrong Oko-Flex (FC Zürich), Franco Umeh (Crystal Palace)
