IRELAND U21 BOSS Stephen Kenny has confirmed at least four players will make their debut against Armenia in Yerevan on Thursday at 4pm (12pm Irish time).
Conor Masterson, Caoimhin Kelleher, Michael Obafemi, Neil Farrugia and Trevor Clarke have all pulled out of the squad due to injury, while Jayson Molumby and Lee O’Connor are unavailable through suspension.
As a result, Kenny confirmed 17-year-old Man City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, Stoke City centre-back Nathan Collins, Thomas O’Connor (Gillingham, on loan from Southampton) and Danny McNamara (Newport, on loan from Millwall) will all make their first appearance for the side, while suggesting there could be as many as eight changes overall.
Ireland currently top their group, but suffered a setback in their most recent match, losing 1-0 to Iceland, ending their unbeaten run in the qualifiers.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for the players coming in. They’re a fantastic group of players who all want to represent their country,” Kenny told FAI TV.
“We played extremely well against Armenia in Tallaght [and won 1-0], but Armenia will be a different proposition out here and they had a fantastic victory over Luxembourg in the last round of games.
“We’re going into the game with the aim to win, these are our 11th and 12th matches of the year and we want to end this year on a high.”
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