Goalkeeper
A big concern for new manager Heimir Hallgrímsson will be the lack of game time his goalkeepers are getting at club level.
Gavin Bazunu, the number one for much of Stephen Kenny’s reign, won’t return to action until 2025 after rupturing his Achilles tendon and Southampton’s recent recruitment of Aaron Ramsdale has cast doubt on the Dubliner’s future at St Mary’s.
Of the three goalkeepers selected for this window, Caoimhín Kelleher has yet to play a single minute of action this season and his predicament is unlikely to change imminently after Liverpool rejected a reported £15 million (€17.8 million) bid for the goalkeeper from Nottingham Forest as the summer transfer deadline approached.
Similarly, Mark Travers is still waiting to make his first appearance this season. Despite being linked with a move away from Bournemouth in the summer, the 25-year-old Maynooth native will likely have to settle for life as the Cherries’ number two until January at least.
Consequently, uncapped Max O’Leary is the only goalkeeper in the squad with competitive minutes under his belt.
O’Leary has started all four of Bristol City’s Championship matches, with one win, one loss and two draws for the Robins in that time.
Regardless, as the most experienced of the trio at international level, Kelleher will surely get the chance to add to his 14 caps.
Defence
It will be interesting to see if Hallgrímsson goes for a four or three-man defence in his first game in charge.
Kenny invariably preferred three at the back, and John O’Shea followed suit in his four games as interim manager.
Nathan Collins was unavailable for the last international window but will probably come back into the team.
The 23-year-old has played every minute of Premier League action for a Brentford side who are sixth in the table.
The Leixlip native will probably play in the central spot of the three-man defence, as he did in the Belgium and Switzerland games.
Dara O’Shea should then slot onto the right side. The 25-year-old has three appearances this season — two in the Championship with Burnley and one in the League Cup with Ipswich after the Dubliner made a £15 million (€17.8 million) move to the Premier League new boys shortly before the transfer window was shut.
A natural left footer, Liam Scales is a strong contender to complete the back three. The 26-year-old has made five starts for Celtic this season, keeping clean sheets in all four of their Scottish Premiership matches.
Jake O’Brien joined Everton for a reported £17 million (€20 million) fee from Lyon in the summer. However, the 23-year-old is still waiting to make his Premier League debut for Sean Dyche’s struggling side, with his only appearance coming in the 3-0 League Cup win over Doncaster. He might also have to settle for a place on the bench on Saturday.
Similarly, Andrew Omobamidele continues to find himself on the periphery of the Nottingham Forest team — his only appearance this season has come in the penalty shootout defeat to Newcastle in the EFL Cup.
Wing-backs
Seamus Coleman turns 36 next month and has featured just twice for Everton after recuperating from injury — the League Cup win over Doncaster and the dramatic 3-2 Premier League loss to Bournemouth.
Whether he can still start two international matches in a short space of time remains to be seen, though the England clash is the more likely of the two to feature the Donegal native.
Ireland will almost certainly have to defend for most of the game against Lee Carsley’s side, and Coleman is widely perceived as a more reliable option than the attack-minded Matt Doherty.
The Dubliner, though, has had a decent beginning to the season, starting two out of Wolves’ three Premier League fixtures and is also a potential option on the left side.
Yet Robbie Brady started as left wing-back in all four of John O’Shea’s interim games in charge and particularly if the assistant remains as influential in the decision-making as some people believe, it would be no surprise to see the 32-year-old get the nod again. He has started two of Preston’s four Championship matches in addition to appearing in the EFL Cup for the Lilywhites.
His ostensible main rival for a spot, Callum O’Dowda, has started all four Championship fixtures, albeit for a Cardiff City side who are currently bottom of the 24-team division.
Selecting Liam Scales at left wing-back is another option. He has generally been picked at centre-back for club and country of late but sometimes has played in this less familiar position, particularly in his Shamrock Rovers days.
Midfield
Having been a virtual ever-present for the past few years, Ireland must do without the injured Josh Cullen for this window. And worryingly, there is no obvious natural replacement.
Will Smallbone prefers to attack but can play a more defensive role. He has also had a relatively encouraging start to the season, featuring in all three of Southampton’s Premier League fixtures, although he was replaced at half-time amid their most recent 3-1 loss to Brentford.
The 24-year-old is another who saw plenty of game time during John O’Shea’s interim reign, starting three out of four matches, and there is a good chance he will play from the outset again on Saturday.
If Ireland go for a three-man attack, as they did in their last four fixtures, who plays alongside Smallbone, will probably come down to a choice between Alan Browne, Jayson Molumby and Jason Knight. That said, given the calibre of the opposition, the prospect of an extra midfielder at the expense of an attacker cannot be ruled out.
Browne joined Sunderland in the summer on a free transfer after his Preston deal expired and has started two of four matches for the Championship leaders, scoring in their recent win over Portsmouth.
But the Cork-born midfielder missed the last window and has not started for Ireland since the 1-0 defeat to Netherlands last November.
Molumby was also on target recently, scoring the winner in West Brom’s 1-0 victory over Swansea.
Despite being linked with a move to Millwall last month, the 25-year-old has started all four matches for the side second in the Championship.
However, like Browne, Molumby has yet to play a single minute of the post-Stephen Kenny era and missed the second half of last season after suffering a foot injury in a New Year’s Day clash with Swansea.
Jason Knight’s game time for Ireland has also been limited. In four appearances in the O’Shea-managed games, three were off the bench. The 23-year-old has, however, played every minute of action for a Bristol City side who are currently 14th in the Championship.
Consequently, the midfield is probably the toughest call for Hallgrímsson.
Browne is the most experienced option with 35 caps (although Knight only has five fewer). Moreover, the 29-year-old also has five goals at international level and the others have one between them so these factors may tip the balance in his favour.
Attack
Another area where the selection is far from straightforward.
Evan Ferguson is widely perceived as the most talented option at Hallgrímsson’s disposal. But the Meath native has not played a minute of action for Brighton this season as he recovers from injury.
Will Hallgrímsson risk the 19-year-old from the start or does he play Adam Idah, who has started just once this season, having recently joined Celtic from Norwich in a reported £9.5 million (€11 million) deal?
In the wide areas, having been uncapped during the Stephen Kenny era, Sammie Szmodics started all four of O’Shea’s interim matches.
And the 28-year-old already has four goals this season, including one on his first Premier League start against Man City for Ipswich, who he joined from Blackburn for £9 million (€10.7 million) plus add-ons last month.
The right side is expected to feature another Ipswich new boy — Chiedozie Ogbene. The former Limerick player joined the Tractor Boys for £8 million (€9.5 million) at the end of last month and was thrown straight in, starting their League Cup match against AFC Wimbledon and their most recent Premier League game versus Fulham, having previously lined out three times for Luton Town.
The other options, therefore, will probably have to settle for the bench.
Troy Parrott joined Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in a reported €8 million deal from Tottenham during this summer.
After an eye-catching loan in the Eredivisie last season, scoring 17 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for Excelsior, he is still waiting to open his AZ account. But the 22-year-old has started all four matches for the side second in the top flight.
Callum Robinson, meanwhile, has played four matches for Championship strugglers Cardiff, although three of his appearances have been from the bench, having struggled with injury and also been punished for a disciplinary issue last season.
Of the 23 players in the current Ireland squad, the 29-year-old is the joint top scorer at international level — along with Robbie Brady, he has scored nine goals.
But the 29-year-old has not started since the 1-0 defeat against the Dutch last November and it would be a surprise to see him feature from the outset this weekend.
Possible Ireland XI: Caoimhín Kelleher, Dara O’Shea, Nathan Collins, Liam Scales, Seamus Coleman, Robbie Brady, Will Smallbone, Alan Browne, Chiedozie Ogbene, Sammie Szmodics, Evan Ferguson.
