MARTIN O’NEILL HAS made five changes for this evening’s qualification showdown against Poland in Warsaw.
There’s no place for Wes Hoolahan with Glenn Whelan and James McClean both coming into the Irish midfield having served their suspensions.
O’Neill hinted on Saturday that two games in four days could be too much for Hoolahan, 33, and the Norwich playmaker sat out training in the Stadion Narodowy on Saturday evening.
Darren Randolph returns in goal, making what will be his first competitive international start, while the fit-again Seamus Coleman replaces Cyrus Christie at right-back.
Thursday night’s supersub Shane Long starts up front in place of Daryl Murphy.
Ireland: Darren Randolph, Seamus Coleman, Richard Keogh, John O’Shea (c), Robbie Brady, Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, Jeff Hendrick, James McClean, Jon Walters, Shane Long.
Substitutes: David Forde, Rob Elliot, Marc Wilson, Cyrus Christie, Paul McShane, Aiden McGeady, David Meyler, Darron Gibson, Wes Hoolahan, Robbie Keane, Daryl Murphy, David McGoldrick.
Poland: Lukasz Fabianski, Pawel Olkowski, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Kamil Glik, Lukasz Piszczek, Michal Pazdan, Krzysztof Maczynski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Karol Linetty, Kamil Grosicki, Robert Lewandowski (c).
