Goalkeeper/defence
Gavin Bazunu was probably the only player to emerge with credit from the Ireland-Greece game and so will surely keep his place tomorrow.
There was a surprise start for Darragh Lenihan in Athens and the Middlesbrough defender didn’t do too much wrong in just his fourth cap for his country.
However, you suspect when he is fully fit, Dara O’Shea will retain his place in the team, and Stephen Kenny may opt to make a change in that department for the Gibraltar game.
Ireland are unlikely to be under the same intense pressure that they experienced in Greece, and so the manager may feel that the Aviva tomorrow night is the ideal time to re-introduce the 24-year-old defender, who had played every minute of Championship action for West Brom last season before suffering a serious injury in the France qualifier.
Elsewhere, Nathan Collins and John Egan should keep their place in the defence, with the former’s well-taken goal — his second from 13 caps — one of the few positives from the other night.
Wing-backs
Matt Doherty’s suspension means Kenny will have to rely on a relatively inexperienced option at wing-back. Despite midfield being his natural position, Alan Browne has played the role in recent times for both club and country and so is the most likely man to replace the former Spurs star. However, Mark Sykes has also operated there for Bristol City this season, so the Belfast native is another viable option. Celtic’s Liam Scales can also play the role, but the fact that he did not make the matchday squad in Athens indicates he is well down the pecking order.
On the left, Callum O’Dowda, like many others, had a poor game against Greece and was partially at fault for both goals. James McClean did not have a great match either after coming on in the 53rd minute and sentimentality won’t come into Kenny’s thinking with the Derry native on the verge of winning his 100th cap, but the 34-year-old may be viewed as the more solid and reliable option in the midst of a turbulent period for the squad.
Midfield
None of the starting midfielders in Athens could complain if they were dropped for tomorrow night, as all delivered sub-par performances and spent much of the game chasing shadows.
Yet Gibraltar at home will be a very different game and so Kenny may not make too many changes in this department and go with a similarly attack-minded line-up.
While Will Smallbone looked fallible defensively on his competitive debut at times in Athens, his corner created Ireland’s only goal and his set-piece delivery is an obvious asset. With Gibraltar likely to put men behind the ball and be hard to beat, the 23-year-old Southampton star — who made 43 appearances on loan at Stoke in the Championship last season — may be given the nod again.
Elsewhere, Josh Cullen has long been a favourite of Stephen Kenny as well as Vincent Kompany — he played in all but three of Burnley’s 46 Championship matches last season as they were promoted to the Premier League — and so should keep his place despite an indifferent performance the other night.
Jayson Molumby is another player who will be disappointed with his lack of influence on Friday. But he probably offers a better balance than Knight as a two alongside Cullen with Smallbone in a slightly more advanced role. However, the likes of Jeff Hendrick and Jamie McGrath will feel they deserve a chance, and Kenny will undoubtedly at least be tempted to shake things up to a degree. Jack Taylor is unlikely to feature though, with the 24-year-old Peterborough star having been left out of the matchday squad against Greece.
Attack
Other than assisting for the goal, Evan Ferguson didn’t have the best of games the other night, though it would have been hard for any striker to make a significant impact in the same circumstances, with the Brighton teenager often isolated up top as Ireland were pinned back by their technically impressive opponents for much of the game.
The same can be said of Adam Idah, though the Norwich star has less credit in the bank, having missed a substantial portion of the last 12 months through injury and enduring a difficult season at Norwich, managing just two goals and 11 starts in the Championship.
Michael Obafemi is the most likely man to come in. He couldn’t do much to inspire Ireland in his 80th-minute cameo on Friday but has performed well for Stephen Kenny in the recent past, notably scoring spectacular goals amid two of Ireland’s four competitive wins under the ex-Dundalk boss — against Armenia and Scotland.
That said, Troy Parrott has scored more international goals than any other striker in the current Ireland squad, while Mikey Johnston will be hoping he did enough in 45 minutes on Friday to earn a full debut for the Boys in Green tomorrow.
Possible Ireland XI: Gavin Bazunu; Nathan Collins, John Egan, Dara O’Shea; Alan Browne, James McClean; Josh Cullen, Jayson Molumby, Will Smallbone; Evan Ferguson, Michael Obafemi.
Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Southampton), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth).
Defenders: Matt Doherty (Atlético Madrid)*, Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Nathan Collins (Wolverhampton Wanderers), John Egan (Sheffield United), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Darragh Lenihan (Middlesbrough), Liam Scales (Celtic).
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jamie McGrath (Wigan Athletic), Jack Taylor (Peterborough United).
Forwards: Adam Idah (Norwich City), Michael Obafemi (Burnley), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur), Mikey Johnston (Vitória de Guimarães, on loan from Celtic).
*Doherty is suspended after his red card against Greece.
