Ireland Under-21 summer friendlies confirmed, with return to old stomping ground
Ireland will head to Croatia for the second consecutive summer, as two June friendlies have been confirmed for Jim Crawford's Under-21 side.
The young Boys in Green will take on Croatia's Under-21s on June 6, four days before they face Qatar's Under-23s in Zagreb.
It's a last chance for Crawford to assess his options ahead of the start of the European Championship qualifiers in September.
Last summer, Ireland had a successful outing in Croatia, beating the hosts 3-2 and drawing 2-2 with an England Under-20 team.
Crawford said: 'We look forward to taking on a very good team in Croatia. Like ourselves, they are second seeds for qualifying so we know it will be a very tough test especially in Croatia.
'Likewise, Qatar will be tough opponents, their style will reflect what we are likely to come up against in the qualifiers so it's an important challenge for the players to overcome.'
Ireland kicked off 2025 with a 3-1 friendly win over Hungary in March, where Mason Melia became the youngest ever goalscorer at that age group and Brentford's Conor McManus netted twice on his international debut.
Looking ahead to September's qualifiers, Crawford emphasised the importance of expanding the number of players at his disposal.
Ireland face Moldova away on Thursday September 4 and Andorra at home on Tuesday September 9.
Crawford said: 'It's important we take a look at the player pool that is available to us. There will be players coming into the squad who weren't available to us in November and March so we will be looking at bringing in players for their first Under-21s squad.
'Like with any international window, it's an opportunity to impress and an opportunity to stake a claim to be involved come September and beyond. These are two important games going into the campaign ahead.'
Friday June 6 (4pm): Croatia U21 v Ireland U21 (Gradski Stadion, Vrbovec, Zagreb)
Tuesday June 10 (5pm): Ireland U21 v Qatar U23 (Gradski Stadion, Vrbovec, Zagreb)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley signs new deal through to end of 2027 Euros
ENGLAND U21 COACH Lee Carsley has signed a new deal through to the end of the 2027 European Championship. The 51-year-old was handed the reins of the senior national team on an interim basis last summer following Gareth Southgate's departure, overseeing five wins and one loss in six Nations League matches. Carsley was heavily linked with becoming England's permanent manager before Thomas Tuchel's appointment, but is now back in his under-21s role as the defending champions continue preparations for the 2025 Euros in Slovakia. Advertisement 'I'm delighted to extend my time with the FA,' Carsley said. 'It's a privilege to have the opportunity to work with a young, talented group and help develop them on the international stage. 'While the future is exciting, our immediate priority is this summer's UEFA U21 Euro in Slovakia as we attempt to emulate the achievement of Dave Sexton's teams in 1982 and 1984.' England open their campaign against Czechia on Thursday, June 12, before further Group B games against Slovenia and Germany. Carsley is set to name his final squad for the tournament on Friday.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Robbie Brady has teammates in stitches with reaction to FAI Senior Player award
Robbie Brady was handed the FAI Senior Player of the Year award at the Ireland squad's Castleknock Hotel HQ on Wednesday morning - and his reaction to winning the prize for the second time in his career drew laughs from his teammates. Brady, who last won the award in 2016 after his heroics at that summer's European Championships, was presented with the trophy by Heimir Hallgrímsson and John O'Shea. The Preston defender made a big impact in 2024, scoring the winner in the Nations League game away to Finland. It was his 10th goal for the Boys in Green, while he won eight caps last year, having not featured at all in 2023. Brady is once again a mainstay in the team, having played both legs of the Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Bulgaria in March. And he is set to add to his 70 caps to date when Ireland take on Senegal on Friday at the Aviva Stadium and Luxembourg next Tuesday. In a far cry from the days when the FAI hosted their international awards at a gala banquet in Citywest Hotel, Brady was given his prize on Wednesday in front of his teammates as they went through video analysis of Senegal. Assistant coach O'Shea said: 'We had Caoimhin (Kelleher), Nathan (Collins) and Robbie Brady nominated for the Senior Men's Player of the Year, and the winner, deservedly so… Mr Robbie Brady.' As Hallgrímsson made the presentation, Brady's teammates called for a speech. The Dubliner said: 'Listen lads, this is brilliant, I didn't expect to win it, so it shows how sh*t youse have all been if I'm winning this! 'No, listen, obviously I was out of the camp for quite a while. I'm delighted to get myself back in and I'm buzzing for this, so thanks for everything, and helping me pick this up. Fair play you youse.' Brady last week signed a new contract with Preston, ending any doubt about where his club future would like beyond the summer.
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ireland legend ‘not as confident as Heimir Hallgrimsson' about World Cup chances but admits ‘I like his attitude'
KEVIN KILBANE admitted he is "not as confident as Heimir Hallgrimsson" when it comes to Ireland's chances of qualifying for the World Cup. The Boys in Green get their qualification campaign underway at home to Advertisement 2 Heimir Hallgrimsson has been bullish about Ireland's chances of qualifying for the World Cup Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Kevin Kilbane revealed why he is not as confident Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile That will be followed by fixtures home and away against And while the Icelander has been next year. He told SunSport via : : "I'm not as confident as Heimir Halgrimsson and that's simply because of what's happened in the last couple of years. Advertisement Read More on Ireland MNT "We're all a little bit probably tarnished from what's happened during the last five or six campaigns . You can't get away from that." They missed out on a place at Ireland won just two of eight games in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar . Advertisement Most read in Football Kenny's men won the same number of games in the And Kilbane added: "We all support the team and we all want the best for them but we're all realistic with what we've been watching and we've seen leads slip against sides that we shouldn't be letting leads slip against. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict "We've not been putting in good performance against sides that we should have been putting better performances in, particularly at home." While the 48-year-old is skeptical that Ireland can get to the 2026 World Cup, he admires Hallgrimsson's outlook nonetheless. Advertisement He was co-coach of Since succeeding summer , Ireland have won exactly half of Hallgrimsson's eight games in charge. There is a renewed optimism after their two-legged win over Bulgaria in the Automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup goes to the side that finishes top of the four team group. Advertisement Meanwhile, the 12 runners-up and the four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League outside those top two positions will go into the play-offs next March. Former star Kilbane continued: "I like what he's been saying and I like that he's got a clear message and I think it's internal as well as external. "If you don't have that attitude, you're not going to qualify. "I like what he's done and I honestly think that the shortened qualification will help us because qualification for us is probably going to be over by March next year. Advertisement "We want to be playing in those big games and I think that every window coming in, now that we know we've got to start well, if we start well and hopefully we do that, the next window is ramped up again. "We could be done after two windows, we know that, but equally, if we get it right in that first window, we've got a chance and we have to believe that. "I do think that there is a chance. but I, like everybody else, every other Irish supporter, is scarred by what's happened recently in the last so many campaigns ." GAME TIME The club campaign has been a mixed one for Irish players. Advertisement Jake O'Brien had a breakthrough 2025 with Everton. Meanwhile, strikers On the flipside, however, Meanwhile, Advertisement In all, 19 Irish players clocked up 18,445 minutes of football in Europe 's top five leagues, an average of 972 per player, equating to fewer than 11 full matches. That statistic is likely to be inflated in 2025/26 by And game time at the highest level is Kevin Kilbane's biggest concern. He said: "The nucleus of our side is lower half Premier League/top half Championship and that's where we are. Advertisement "I think the most important thing for our players is game time and that's the only thing that every single player wants. "We're in this boat where our players are not playing regular enough at the top level and that's where we are but the ones that we have, we've got to build our side around those players. "We've got enough quality and I know that we've got enough quality but it's about game time for them all." Find the latest and get the 18+ GambleAware Advertisement
