Liam Scales, who recently played for the Republic of Ireland against the Netherlands, will be absent from upcoming friendlies due to injury. His absence follows his inability to participate in Celtic’s victory over St Johnstone last weekend. Alongside Scales, striker Troy Parrott is also ruled out of the Republic’s matches against Belgium and Switzerland.
Parrott has been sidelined after missing two consecutive games for his Dutch club, Excelsior.
In response to these setbacks, interim coach John O’Shea has called up under-21 players Joe Hodge and Andy Moran to fill the void left by Scales and Parrott. However, O’Shea has not made any further replacements beyond these additions.
Additionally, Derry City goalkeeper Brian Maher has been invited to train alongside the Republic’s main goalkeepers—Gavin Bazunu, Caoimhin Kelleher, and Mark Travers—as part of the squad’s preparation for the friendlies in Dublin.
The Republic’s upcoming matches include a fixture against Belgium on Saturday, followed by a contest with Switzerland next Tuesday.
Despite the injuries and changes, the Republic of Ireland squad for the friendlies remains unchanged. Here’s a quick rundown of the team:
– Goalkeepers: Bazunu (Southampton), Kelleher (Liverpool), Travers (Bournemouth).
– Defenders: Coleman (Everton), Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Collins (Brentford), Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), O’Shea (Burnley), O’Brien (Lyon), Brady (Preston), Ebosele (Udinese).
– Midfielders: Cullen (Burnley), Knight (Bristol City), Smallbone (Southampton), McGrath (Aberdeen), O’Dowda (Cardiff City), Sykes (Bristol City), Azaz (Middlesbrough), Johnston (West Bromwich Albion).
– Forwards: Ferguson (Brighton), Idah (Celtic, on loan from Norwich), Obafemi (Millwall, on loan from Burnley), Szmodics (Blackburn), Ogbene (Luton Town).
So, despite the setbacks, the Republic of Ireland is gearing up for their upcoming challenges with a determined squad.
