Ireland v Moldova, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 7.45pm
ONLINE
Live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now App from 7pm.
TV
Live coverage on RTÉ2 from from 7pm. Also available on rte.ie/player (RoI only).
RADIO
Live commentary available on Game On on RTÉ 2fm from 7pm.
WEATHER
Cloudy with the chance of rain, temperatures should not fall below 10c and winds will be light. A decent evening for football.
QUALIFICATION HOPES HANGING BY A THREAD
Six points from two games is all that matters to Ireland at this stage and even that may not be enough to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
Moldova at the Aviva Stadium is the first hurdle for Martin O’Neill’s team to clear and the expectation among many supporters is that Ireland will win this with the minimum of fuss before turning their attentions to Wales, but the Irish camp are taking this game seriously as well they might.
Ireland come into the match on the back of two hugely disappointing September games which saw the Boys in Green take just one point and leaves them relying on results elsewhere and hoping for a huge slice of luck just to make the play-offs.
Ireland went into those games with their qualification fate in their own hands but a limp 1-1 draw with Georgia in Tblisi was followed up by a 1-0 defeat at home to Serbia, which ended any Irish hopes of automatic qualification for Russia 2018.
Now it’s a case of salvaging what they can from the campaign and hoping that results fall the right way for them.
RTÉ’s Conor Neville drew the short straw and wrote an excellent piece about the possible permutations and outcomes needed if Ireland are to nick a play-off place.
Suffice to say that it’s very complicated and along with requiring two wins, Ireland best hopes of progression also rely on seeing Greece and Bosnia & Herzegovina drop points in Group H.
NEW ATTACKING OPTIONS FOR IRELAND?
The days of expecting Ireland to just turn up and steamroll a side like Moldova are long gone and Gibraltar aside, Ireland haven’t beaten a team by more than two goals in a competitive match since the Giovanni Trapattoni era back in 2013.
Scoring goals has been Ireland’s biggest problem of late and a record of just three goals from the last five qualification games tell its own story. The lack of creativity in front of goal is one of the biggest reasons Ireland currently find themselves in the hole they’re in.
To that end Ireland have brought some new faces into the squad with Sean Maguire, Aiden O’Brien and Scott Hogan all hoping to play a part against Moldova in attack.
Assistant manager Roy Keane said of the trio: "We'll see how they go over the next few days training. I'd expect one or two of them to be involved on Friday, certainly getting on the pitch at some stage."
It’s unlikely however that any of the three will start, with Shane Long expected to lead the line for Ireland despite his lack of goals in recent times. With James McClean suspended, the pacey option for tucking in behind Long is gone so it wouldn't be out of the question for O'Neill to play two up front and play the in-form Daryl Murphy alongside him.
Robbie Brady is also suspended leaving Ireland without his without his dead-ball delivery, but given how poor that was in the September games, it might be good to give someone else a chance.
Of the three potential new caps, Maguire is the player that supporters most want to see in the green jersey. The attacking midfielder has the guile and creativity to break down stubborn sides and has impressed since his move from Cork City to Championship side Preston with the Leesiders struggling in the wake of his exit.
The perpetual Wes Hoolahan question will come to the fore again, and those eager to see him start should see their wish granted.
O’Neill prefers playing the mercurial midfielder at home and against a side like Moldova who are unlikely to put Ireland under any consistent pressure, the Irish boss may feel he can afford to start a player who views as a luxury.
WHAT WILL MOLDOVA OFFER?
The visitors are firmly rooted to the bottom of Group D with just two points after claiming draws home and away against fellow strugglers Georgia.
Ireland claimed a tricky enough 3-1 victory over Moldova a year ago thanks to a brace of last goals from McClean and an early opener from Long. Hoolahan played a staring role in that game as he pulled the strings from the centre of midfield and only some wasteful first-half finishing kept the hosts in the game for a long while.
O’Neill will be hoping for a repeat scoreline but Ireland’s form has dropped since then and the visitors have improved.
Tactically Moldova often line up in a similar formation to Ireland, with either Igor Bugaev or Radu Ginsari playing the role of the lone striker. Bugaev has been preferred in recent times and looks the most likely to start in Dublin, having scored against Ireland last time out.
Manager Igor Dobrovolski favours a defensive midfield approach an often deploys two defensive midfielders in Andrei Cojocari and Alexandru Gatcan, so what appears to be a 4-5-1 formation of paper is often more akin to a 4-2-3-1 with Cojocari and Gatcan rarely venturing past the half-way line.
VERDICT - IRELAND 2-0 MOLDOVA
Anyone expecting an Irish stroll in the park is likely to be disappointed. Moldova will come to the Aviva Stadium prepared to defend and keep things tight and Ireland may well struggle to break them down.
O’Neill will need to use the creativity of someone like Hoolahan or even Maguire along with pace off the bench to open up the visitors and it may not be until the second half when they begin to tire that Ireland will succeed in making a break-through.
A high-scoring game is unlikely given the form of the Irish forwards who, excluding Murphy, are struggling for goals at club level and there may just be a solitary strike in it, but let’s be optimistic and go for a 2-0 win.
Republic of Ireland v Moldova, live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and 2fm from 7pm, Live online blog www.rte.ie/sport
