RUESHA LITTLEJOHN HAS been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland’s international friendly against Australia tomorrow night through injury.
The Aston Villa midfielder misses the Tallaght Stadium clash [KO 7pm, live on RTÉ Two] due to a foot injury.
An FAI preview this afternoon also confirmed that all Ireland players and staff have tested negative for Covid-19.
Tomorrow’s friendly comes as the Girls In Green’s final run-out before their delayed 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign. Within, Vera Pauw’s side look to halt a seven-game losing streak as fans return to Tallaght (tickets are almost sold out, with a capacity set at 4,000 due to Covid restrictions).
They were meant to have played Georgia in their opening Group A game last Friday, but that was rescheduled until June 2022. While they face a daunting start against top two seeds, Sweden and Finland, next month, the Matildas are the opposition tomorrow night.
Tony Gustavsson’s side are 11th in the Fifa World Rankings, and Ireland are 33rd. Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr is their captain, set to earn her 100th cap as Australia come to Dublin off the back of reaching the Olympic semi-finals in Tokyo.
SQUAD UPDATE | Ireland WNT
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) September 19, 2021
Midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn ruled out of #IRLAUS 🇮🇪🇦🇺 due to injury
Get your tickets 🎟now 👉 https://t.co/cAXiQ19fj8#COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/xIAReCB87r
“Australia are officially the ninth-best team in women’s football and recently finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics,” Pauw said.
“We know just how good they are and this opportunity to test ourselves against such a top-class opponent is one that we are ready to make the most of.
“We have never played against Australia at senior level before so this fixture is a first in many ways. Crucially, though, it acts as another chance for us to work together as a group to be in the best position possible for our first 2023 Fifa World Cup qualifier.
“The start to our qualifying campaign has been delayed due to Covid issues in Georgia – where we faced the possibility of travelling without over 20 players – so we now have to look ahead to a double-header in October at home to Sweden and away to Finland. We know how difficult these games will be so that is why this test against Australia is so important to take positives from our performance.”
Captain Katie McCabe, who plays her club football at Arsenal alongside Aussie trio Lydia Williams, Steph Catley, and Caitlin Foord (injured), is relishing “an exciting game”.
“Australia are a top class side and it will be a great test for us,” she said. “We’ve been playing against a lot of top quality teams of late and they certainly fall into that bracket.
“I know a few of the Australian players from my club, Arsenal, and we’ve been having a laugh talking about the game. But it will be down to business on Tuesday for them and for us because we want to put on a good performance.
“One of the big things about this game is that we can finally have our fans back in Tallaght after so long away due to Covid. We’re fully aware of the need to maintain social distancing and the protocols in place, but there is no doubt that they will make a difference for us – they have always been fully behind us.”
Republic of Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Grace Moloney (Reading), Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Eve Badana (DLR Waves)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Diane Caldwell (North Carolina Courage), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Claire Walsh (Glasgow City), Savannah McCarthy (Galway WFC), Áine O’Gorman (Peamount United), Isibeal Atkinson (Celtic)
Midfielders: Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Shelbourne), Niamh Farrelly (Glasgow City), Aoibheann Clancy (Wexford Youths), Jess Ziu (Shelbourne), Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Rianna Jarrett (London City Lionesses), Amber Barrett (FC Koln), Kyra Carusa (HB Hoge), Clare Shine (Glasgow City), Emily Whelan (Birmingham City), Saoirse Noonan (Shelbourne), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
Australia
Goalkeepers: Lydia Williams (Arsenal), Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham United), Teagan Micah (Rosengard)
Defenders: Angela Beard (Fortuna Hjorring), Ellie Carpenter (Lyon), Steph Catley (Arsenal), Charlotte Grant (Rosengard), Emma Checker (Melbourne City), Winonah Heatly (Vaxjo), Alanna Kennedy (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jenna McCormick (Vittsjo GIK), Jamila Rankin (Brisbane Roar), Tameka Yallop (West Ham United), Kyra Cooney-Cross (Melbourne Victory), Amy Harrison (PSV Eindhoven), Chloe Logarzo (Kansas City), Emily van Egmond (Unattached)
Forwards: Mary Fowler (Montpellier), Emily Gielnik (Aston Villa), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Hayley Raso (Manchester City), Kyah Simon (Tottenham Hotspur), Remy Siemsen (Sydney FC).
