Speaking at Cardiff City Stadium ahead of the first leg of the Republic of Ireland’s play-off final against Cymru, Eileen Gleeson suggested that fans should expect an even affair between the two sides and brushed off suggestions that her side are the favourites to qualify for Euro 2025.
More than 15,500 tickets have been sold for the first leg in Cardiff, with the FAI expecting a crowd of more than 20,000 when the teams take to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium next Tuesday.
What did Eileen Gleeson say?
Now just two games away from an excursion to Switzerland next summer for the long-awaited Euro 2025 tournament, Eileen Gleeson confirmed that her side will be without Aoife Mannion on Friday.
The Manchester United defender has been an integral part of the Republic of Ireland’s back line, but Gleeson told reporters on Thursday that “we’ve had to accept that Aoife has been out from the start, so we’ve just been focusing on the 23 players that we have in with us.”
Gleeson, 52, has suggested that Liverpool’s Niamh Fahey could step up to replace Mannion at the Cardiff City Stadium, despite a considerable lack of game time in the Barclays Women’s Super League this season.
Fahey has played just 23 minutes of top-flight football since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, though she was afforded a start against Newcastle United in the Women’s League Cup last Sunday.
“We’re happy Niamh’s in. She’s playing with a top club, she’s training and she played against Newcastle,” Gleeson expressed.
Embed from Getty Images“We’re well aware of the exposure she has in the training that she’s putting in, we’re happy with that.”
“Niamh has great experience,” she added, “and we’ll draw on that when she’s solid with the team.”
Experience was a key talking point throughout the press conference, with some suggesting that the Republic of Ireland head into this two-legged play-off final as the favourites having qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in recent years – but Gleeson insisted that the Girls in Green are expecting “a very evenly-matched tie.”
“It’s a huge game for both, big reward at the end of it. We’re expecting a very evenly matched tie. I think both teams have similar profiles,” Gleeson quipped, “and we know Wales are really well organised, some good mobility and some really key players.”
“I think the language around it – ‘the greater experience’ – it’s one experience. It’s our first qualification and like Wales, we haven’t qualified for a Euros so we’re looking to push for that. There’s no denying qualification and experience in winning a play-off of course is a really positive experience and we’ll be looking to draw on that.”