INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
Republic of Ireland v Latvia, Aviva Stadium, 7:45pm Wednesday
TV
Live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm.
RADIO
Live radio commentary is available on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.
ONLINE
Live tracker on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Updates and match footage on RTÉ Soccer Twitter and RTÉ Sport Facebook.
WEATHER
A damp but mild day is forecast on Wednesday in Dublin. Come kick-off time there will be scattered blustery showers spreading from the west, some possibly heavy with a chance of hail. Top temperature of 12 or 13 degrees in moderate to fresh and gusty southwesterly winds.
THE ROAD TO EURO 2024 STARTS HERE
With France arriving in Dublin for Ireland's opening of their Euro 2024 qualification campaign on Monday, the visit of Latvia represents a final opportunity for Stephen Kenny to tinker with his set-up for that crunch game.
A decent result against Les Bleus would set up Ireland for the rest of the campaign and everything that Kenny and Ireland do against Latvia will be with one eye on that tie.
On paper the visit of the team ranked 133rd in the world may not be ideal preparation to face the World Cup finalists and the approach that Kenny takes to both games is almost certainly going to be different.
Ireland will be expected to make do with less of the possession against France and play on the break, while they are heavily favourites to overcome Latvia.
While the Boys in Green won’t get a dress rehearsal of the type of match they’re likely to face on Monday, they will have a chance to put in a statement performance and build some confidence with a impressive display.
Victory and a decent performance for the supporters who have been unfailing loyal towards Kenny and his side is exactly what’s needed to set Ireland up for Monday’s game.
ATTACKING OPTIONS CONTINUE TO GROW
It’s not always easy to remember just how difficult Ireland found goals to come by during the early days of the Stephen Kenny era.
The team managed just one goal in Kenny’s first eight games in charge and that solitary goal came courtesy of injury-time Shane Duffy effort.
A dearth of options and quality up front marked the first year of Kenny’s reign but slowly and surely he began to uncover new talent and blood them in international football and he’s now at the point where his biggest concern is who to leave out.
The likes of Adam Idah, Michael Obafemi and Chiedozie Ogbene have impressed for their clubs and country in recent months, while Evan Ferguson is lighting up the Premier League with Brighton and giving hope that Ireland may have finally found Robbie Keane’s successor.
The profile of the attacker players at his disposal is something that Kenny is eager to talk up and with so many pacey forward at his disposal, he’s excited by the possibilities.
"All of a sudden in the last two seasons, players have come through. We have Adam Idah, Michael Obafemi, Chiedozie Ogbene, Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson that have just emerged," he told RTÉ Sport recently.
"So obviously we have different characteristics now, we have speed to hurt teams, we have players who can only get better. We also have other players to complement that like Will Keane, Scott Hogan and James Collins."
The clamour and expectation surrounding Ferguson given his performances with Brighton this season are an extra dimension for Kenny to deal with and the manager has confirmed that he will make his first international start against Latvia.
It's the perfect low pressure, low stakes occasion for Ferguson to dip his toe into international waters and should be able to bring his club form to the Irish set-up, he'll be hard to leave out out the team for Monday's game.
"It’s a good start for him and it’s early in his career," was Kenny’s response when asked about Ferguson’s recent rise. "He gives us another option and now there’s competition for places and that’s what we want."
LATVIA LOOKING TO TEST THEMSELVES
Latvia’s Euro 2024 qualifying group is not as testing as Ireland’s but it’s one that they’re likely to struggle to progress from.
The visitors were drawn with Turkey, Croatia, Armenia and Wales and it’s in Cardiff where Latvia begin their campaign.
Manager Dainis Kazakevics views the game against Ireland as ideal preparation for his side’s Welsh opener and he’s expecting to face a 'British-style team’.
Whether or not Kazakevics is aware of the evolution of Ireland’s playing style under Kenny is unclear, but if he’s expecting a big physical team who lump it up to the big man, he may be if for a surprise.
"It is a serious game for us, in which we will play with an optimal squad, but we will try our ideas already in the game against Wales," the Latvian manager said.
"The Irish and Welsh teams are similar, yet slightly different. But that was the idea - to play against a British-style team, on their pitch and in climatic conditions. Hopefully there will be a full stadium, it is important for us to prepare for the game in Cardiff."
History is not on Latvia’s side. Ireland have come out on time on all five previous meetings between the sides with an aggregate score of 14-1.
However the last time the two teams meet was in 2013 when Ireland emerged 3-0 winners and Kazakevics is not concerned about the past precedence.
"I am not a supporter of historical statistics," he said. "It's a brand new team, new players. It's the first time playing against each other and I don't think it [stats in previous games against Ireland] will be the deciding factor.
"It goes to show that Ireland are a good team, but that this does not mean that the statistics will never change."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Latvia in an international friendly on Wednesday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
Watch Republic of Ireland v France in Euro 2024 qualifying on Monday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On
