Ireland v Qatar: Time, channel, team news

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Ireland V Qatar: Time, Channel, Team News
Republic of Ireland Squad Training, Debrecen Football Academy, Debrecen, Hungary 29/3/2021 Shane Duffy Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
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James Cox

The Republic of Ireland take on Qatar in a friendly fixture this evening.

It will be the first of two games against Qatar who have been included in Ireland's World Cup qualifying group as preparation for hosting the tournament in 2022.

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Where is the game and what time is kick-off?

The match takes place at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown on RTÉ 2 and Sky Sports Football. Coverage starts at 7pm (RTÉ) and 7.40pm (Sky Sports).

What's at stake?

The games against Qatar are friendlies and will not count towards the point tally in Group A.

However, it's a big one for Stephen Kenny as he will be looking for his first win as Ireland manager at the 11th attempt after a disastrous start.

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If you factor in the long spell until Ireland's next game - away to Portugal on September 1st - it makes it even more important.

What do we know about Qatar?

Qatar is a team on the up, their squad is nearly entirely made up of domestic players, but millions spent on development of football in the country is starting to pay off.

They won the 2019 Asian Cup and have beaten Luxembourg and Azerbaijan in the past week, so it will be a tough game for Ireland.

Team news

The last thing Kenny needed was more absences but wing-backs Matt Doherty and Enda Stevens will both be missing due to injury.

Many critics questioned why Ireland essentially played with a 3-5-2 in the 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg on Saturday so Kenny may try a different system closer to a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.

After not featuring against Serbia or Luxembourg, Shane Duffy is likely to get a chance to win his place in the team back.

Jeff Hendrick could also play a more prominent role after he was also dropped from the starting lineup.

Youngsters Gavin Bazunu and Jason Knight are likely to play again.

 

 

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