On Friday evening, Sarina Wiegman’s England team face the Republic Ireland in the second phase of their WEURO2025 qualifying campaign.
The Lionesses will meet with the Girls in Green at Carrow Road in Norwich where they will look to build on their tally of seven points, and bolster their qualification hopes.
They currently sit third in Group A3, trailing behind Sweden on goal difference.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash, Arsenal forward Alessia Russo made her team’s desires very clear.
“[Automatic qualification] is what we want, we want to be qualified, look forward to that and have a focus on it,” said Russo.
“This group is tough, but ultimately that’s the goal.”
She knows that every meeting is crucial for England now, and they can’t afford to bring anything less than the unwavering determination and grit they showed against France back in June.
She said: ”We put in a performance that we needed and we wanted to as a nation.
“It was great to get a win and get our standards back to where we wanted them, because we have very high standards as a team and as players.
“These two games are massive as well. Preparations have been good. You want to be competing in big games, you want to be playing top opposition and that’s what we’ve got in this group.”
The Republic of Ireland, known for their disciplined and tenacious playing style, will not make it easy for the Lionesses.
Under the guidance of their manager, Eileen Gleeson, the Girls in Green have developed a strong defensive structure, capable of frustrating even the most potent attacking teams.
With players like Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan leading the charge, Ireland will aim to capitalise on counter-attacks and set pieces to threaten England’s defence.
The Irish team is determined to make their mark in the qualifiers, and a positive result against England would significantly boost their chances of advancing.
The match promises to be a fiercely contested battle, with both teams fully aware of the stakes involved.
You can watch the game live on ITV1/ITVX, kick-off 8pm BST.
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