The central role of Katie McCabe in the Republic of Ireland team is highlighted by the emphasis placed on her recovery from jet lag after manager Eileen Gleeson announced her squad on Wednesday for the Euro 2025 qualifying matches against Sweden. Gleeson could have done without the decision from Arsenal to include McCabe in the team departing for Australia on Sunday for a friendly match in Melbourne. This leaves the player with less than a week for recovery before the match against Sweden at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, May 31st, and a subsequent game in Stockholm four days thereafter.
Gleeson however attempted to dispel any negativity surrounding McCabe’s timetable, despite her later arrival in Dublin compared to the rest of the team. There has been ongoing communication and planning regarding her sleep and recovery strategies with the club, as situations like these fall out of their operational command.
Among the 26 selected, Niamh Fahey and Heather Payne are noticeably missing due to Achilles injuries. Fahey has been on a break since her March game for Liverpool and Payne hasn’t played in Everton’s previous four matches. However, Payne was recognised as the young player of the year on Wednesday following her remarkable debut season with the club. Her colleague, Courtney Brosnan won the players’ player of the season award.
A knee injury had put the availability of Denise O’Sullivan in doubt, after missing North Carolina Courage’s game last Saturday. Gleeson, however, reassured that the injury is not as severe as anticipated and is optimistic about the footballer’s availability. Accompanying this is the first run for another Cork native, 19-year-old Eva Mangan from Cork City, for her commendable season performance.
Stina Blackstenius, another player from Arsenal, won’t be available for Ireland matches due to a hip injury. However, manager Peter Gerhardsson has succeeded in assembling a profoundly seasoned squad, with six players who recently annexed league titles in England, Germany and Spain with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Ireland kicked off their season with a 1-0 loss on French soil, followed by a 2-0 defeat by England in Dublin just four days afterwards. Contrarily, Sweden embarked on their season on a high note, procuring a draw against England on Wembley’s turf, although later suffered a loss on their home ground to France.
Currently leading the group are the French, having a two-point lead over England. There is still a possibility for a matchup between France and Ireland in Cork come July for the return game. As both the Aviva and Tallaght stadiums are off the table, following the endorsement from GAA’s Central Council of Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the match, FAI is now awaiting UEFA’s sanction for the venue’s utilisation.
THE IRISH SQUAD: C Brosnan (Everton), G Moloney (London City Lionesses), S Whitehouse (Lewes); J Stapleton (West Ham), D Caldwell (FC Zurich), L Quinn (Birmingham City), C Hayes (Celtic), A Patten (Aston Villa), A Mannion (Manchester United), M Campbell (London City); K McCabe (Arsenal), D O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), M Connolly (Bristol City), R Littlejohn (London City), T Toland (Blackburn Rovers), L Agg (Birmingham City), J Ziu (West Ham), L Quinn (Birmingham City), E McLaughlin (Peamount United), E Mangan (Cork City), I Atkinson (Crystal Palace); K Carusa (San Diego Wave), L Kiernan (Liverpool), E Murphy (Wake Forest University), A Larkin (Crystal Palace), A Barrett (Standard Liege).
The following text features Swedish individuals: J Falk, J Rybrink, R Kafaji, A Sandberg from BK Häcken, Z Mušović, N Björn, J Rytting Kaneryd from Chelsea, J Andersson, E Wangerheim from Hammarby IF, S Jakobsson, H Lundkvist from San Diego Wave, M Janogy, P Hammarlund from Fiorentina, L Sembrant, M Eriksson from Bayern Munich, J Zigiotti Olme, E Kullberg from Brighton, T Enblom from Vålerenga, M Vinberg from Tottenham, F Angeldahl from Manchester City, H Glas from Kansas City Current, M Cato from IFK Norrköping, H Bennison from Everton, F Rolfö from Barcelona, and K Asllani from AC Milan.