Republic of Ireland Manager Gleeson Anticipates Wales Play-off

Republic of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson, seen smiling during Thursday’s squad training session in Dublin, anticipates an “evenly matched tie” against Wales in the Euro 2025 play-off first leg this Friday evening. This fixture at Cardiff City Stadium occurs eight months after Wales defeated Gleeson’s team 2-0 in a friendly match. Gleeson reflected on the previous friendly, stating, “What we learned was about ourselves in that game – it was a friendly game, both teams using other players, different squads,” and added, “I don’t think we learned anything that we didn’t know.” She continued, “What I do know is wer’e a different team to what we were in February. Wales are also a different. You’re never the same team twice. And for us, it highlights to us the quality Wales have. I do think it will be an evenly matched tie and we’re looking forward to that.” Gleeson’s squad will be without Aoife Mannion for the initial leg, as the defender has been ruled out due to a muscle injury. The Republic of Ireland secured a victory against Scotland in a World Cup play-off two years ago, while the Welsh team is aiming to qualify for a major tournament for the first time. Irish defender Denise O’Sullivan had a memorable debut against Wales in 2011, when the midfielder scored a double in a 2–0 Euro qualifier victory in Newport. She expressed her hope for another positive result to bring back for the second leg, scheduled for Tuesday night in Dublin. O’Sullivan further stated, “No matter what happens, we still have that second leg at home and we’ll have that home crowd behind us.” She emphasized, “That’s the only thing I’m thinking about, full focus is on Friday night now.” She concluded, “We know it’s a lot of pressure but I think we’re more prepared than ever and we can handle that. I think the only conversations we’re having is how excited we are, how prepared we are for this game against Wales. We’re all looking forward to it.”