EILEEN GLEESON has named her Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2025 play-off against Cymru.
The Girls in Green travel to Cardiff for the opening leg on Friday, November 29, before a return tie at the Aviva Stadium on December 3.
Eileen Gleeson named her panel on Thursday, with Louise Quinn absent due to injury.
The Ireland centurion missed both legs of the 9-0 semi-final win over Georgia due to a hip issue.
She has failed to recover in time to be part of the squad, and is joined on the injury list by Ellen Molloy (hamstring), Lucy Quinn (ankle), Jamie Finn, and Jess Ziu (both knee).
Gleeson has been boosted by the returns of Megan Campbell and Ruesha Littlejohn after they both missed the two games against Georgia.
Over 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the second leg fixture at the Aviva Stadium.
Supporters encouraged to secure their seat as Ireland look to qualify for next summer’s tournament in front of a large home crowd.
As she had been for the semi-final win over Georgia, Louise Quinn may be among the throngs of fans in attendance at Lansdowne Road.
Missing both legs of the 9-0 aggregate win made for an unusual experience for the Birmingham City star.
The 34-year-old suggested that the last time she missed out on Ireland duty was the World Cup qualifier against Croatia in 2013.
The mother-to-be stayed at home for the first leg against Georgia, which Eileen Gleeson’s side won 6-0.
For the second, however, she made sure to get to Tallaght Stadium to watch the Girls in Green complete the job with a 3-0 victory.
Quinn explained on Off The Ball: “It was definitely a strange one.
“I was here at home watching the first leg and had Lucy Quinn over to watch the game as well. It was a very odd experience.
“The girls did great and I had to go to Tallaght for the second leg.
“Just to be a part of it and see all the girls and staff after the game was really important for me. It was difficult to be on the outside.”
Being on the outside looking in at the home of Shamrock Rovers came with it particular obstacles.
Those ranged from the personal – adapting to being in the stands rather than on the pitch – and the administrative.
When she went down the tunnel at half-time to reunite with her teammates and offer some words of encouragement, Quinn needed help from security that was left doing a “double take”.
The Blessington-native revealed: “It was odd to be in club during international break.
“I didn’t know what to expect. Even when I was getting my tickets from Tallaght Stadium.
“I was like, ‘where do I get these? Where do I go? How do yous get in? What happens at half-time?’”
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Sunderland, on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Carolina), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Heather Payne (Everton), Marissa Sheva (Portland Thorns), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Julie-Ann Russell (Galway United)
