DETAILS FOR IRELAND’S summer friendlies with Hungary and Andorra have been confirmed this morning.
On Monday, Stephen Kenny announced that his side would play the clashes as part of a nine-day training camp this summer, with dates and locations yet to be finalised.
The FAI today confirmed that the Boys In Green will face Andorra on Thursday, 3 June at the Estadi Nacional [KO 6pm] before lining out against Hungary on Tuesday, 8 June.
A venue and kick-off time is yet to be finalised for the latter fixture, with both acting as preparations for World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Azerbaijan in September, as the wait goes on for Ireland’s first win under Kenny.
For Hungary, it will be a run-out before this summer’s European Championships, where they’re in a daunting group with France, Germany, and Portugal.
Ireland endured a dismal recent international window, beaten 3-2 by Serbia in Belgrade and 1-0 by Luxembourg at the Aviva Stadium to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign on a dire note, before playing out a 1-1 friendly draw with Qatar.
“We wanted to go to Spain for nine days in June, which we are, to work on the whole collective way we want to play and the split and integrate all the new players we have brought in,” Kenny said, when announcing the friendlies in his pre-game press conference ahead of the Qatar friendly.
“We wanted to ramp that up with friendlies against Andorra and Hungary in June and take us into September but the big letdown has been losing to Luxembourg.
“Luxembourg had drawn with France and France went on to win the World Cup and they have beaten other countries. It’s not the Luxembourg of old and we can’t be disrespectful but our expectation is that we should be beating them at home. We didn’t and you have to expect criticism for that.”
Fixtures – International Friendlies
- 03/06: Andorra v Ireland – Estadi Nacional, 6pm
- 08/06: Hungary v Ireland – TBC
