REPUBLIC OF IRELAND midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn has been ruled out of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Poland in Gdańsk [KO 5pm Irish time, live on RTÉ 2].
The Crystal Palace 35-year-old is unavailable due to a “flare-up” of a long-term Achilles issue, but head coach Carla Ward expects her to return for the second game of this crucial double-header at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Ward confirmed a fit squad otherwise, with captain Katie McCabe ready for action despite a hand injury.
Assistant coach Gary Cronin allayed fears last week after the Arsenal star trained with heavy strapping on her left hand. The 42 understands McCabe tore ligaments in Ireland’s opening 2-1 defeat to France and has been managing it since.
Denise O’Sullivan is back in the fold after a knee setback in that game ruled her out of the following 2-1 loss in Netherlands, and the Liverpool midfielder joined Ward for today’s pre-match press conference.
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Carla Ward and Denise O'Sullivan pictured at today's press conference. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“Ruesha will be out tomorrow but available for the second game,” said Ward, as quoted by RTÉ. “Just a flare-up in the Achilles. She’ll be back for next game.”
93-cap Littlejohn didn’t feature in Ireland’s opening window, with Megan Connolly and Marissa Sheva partnering O’Sullivan in midfield, before Lucy Quinn was preferred in her absence. Jess Ziu, Tyler Toland and Aoibheann Clancy are among other options, with Anna Patten able to pivot.
Ireland and Poland are ultimately vying for third-place in this group, and a more favorable play-off route to Brazil 2027. The Poles – ranked 24th in the world, three places above the Girls In Green – currently have the upper hand after their 2-2 draw with the Dutch.
“You can’t underestimate Poland,” Ward stressed. “They’re a top side with world-class players, similar to France and Netherlands. So it’ll be the same approach as it would be if we were playing France and Netherlands. We want to try and get points from every single game.
“They’re a hungry group. They want to continue to impress. I don’t want to put all the emphasis on one individual game. We’ve got four games left. All four games, we want to get points from them.”
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O’Sullivan, meanwhile, confirmed she is “feeling ready” for the decisive double header, which begins at the 41,620-capacity Gdańsk Stadium, where Ireland lost 4-0 to Spain at Euro 2012.
“I went back to Liverpool, been in great hands there, so I’m feeling strong, feeling ready to go this weekend and really excited for the game tomorrow,” the Cork midfielder said ahead of her 130th cap.
“I was really proud of the girls (in the Netherlands). Obviously, sitting in the stands was really hard. I absolutely love playing for my country, so I missed it.
“They were excellent in that game, a great performance, but the next step for us now is turning those good performances into points.”
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Ruesha Littlejohn ruled out of Ireland's World Cup qualifier against 'top side' Poland
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn has been ruled out of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Poland in Gdańsk [KO 5pm Irish time, live on RTÉ 2].
The Crystal Palace 35-year-old is unavailable due to a “flare-up” of a long-term Achilles issue, but head coach Carla Ward expects her to return for the second game of this crucial double-header at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Ward confirmed a fit squad otherwise, with captain Katie McCabe ready for action despite a hand injury.
Assistant coach Gary Cronin allayed fears last week after the Arsenal star trained with heavy strapping on her left hand. The 42 understands McCabe tore ligaments in Ireland’s opening 2-1 defeat to France and has been managing it since.
Denise O’Sullivan is back in the fold after a knee setback in that game ruled her out of the following 2-1 loss in Netherlands, and the Liverpool midfielder joined Ward for today’s pre-match press conference.
“Ruesha will be out tomorrow but available for the second game,” said Ward, as quoted by RTÉ. “Just a flare-up in the Achilles. She’ll be back for next game.”
93-cap Littlejohn didn’t feature in Ireland’s opening window, with Megan Connolly and Marissa Sheva partnering O’Sullivan in midfield, before Lucy Quinn was preferred in her absence. Jess Ziu, Tyler Toland and Aoibheann Clancy are among other options, with Anna Patten able to pivot.
Ireland and Poland are ultimately vying for third-place in this group, and a more favorable play-off route to Brazil 2027. The Poles – ranked 24th in the world, three places above the Girls In Green – currently have the upper hand after their 2-2 draw with the Dutch.
“You can’t underestimate Poland,” Ward stressed. “They’re a top side with world-class players, similar to France and Netherlands. So it’ll be the same approach as it would be if we were playing France and Netherlands. We want to try and get points from every single game.
“They’re a hungry group. They want to continue to impress. I don’t want to put all the emphasis on one individual game. We’ve got four games left. All four games, we want to get points from them.”
O’Sullivan, meanwhile, confirmed she is “feeling ready” for the decisive double header, which begins at the 41,620-capacity Gdańsk Stadium, where Ireland lost 4-0 to Spain at Euro 2012.
“I went back to Liverpool, been in great hands there, so I’m feeling strong, feeling ready to go this weekend and really excited for the game tomorrow,” the Cork midfielder said ahead of her 130th cap.
“I was really proud of the girls (in the Netherlands). Obviously, sitting in the stands was really hard. I absolutely love playing for my country, so I missed it.
“They were excellent in that game, a great performance, but the next step for us now is turning those good performances into points.”
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