UEFA WOMEN'S NATIONS LEAGUE
Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland, Aviva Stadium, 1pm
TV
Watch live coverage from 12.30pm Saturday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
RADIO
Listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2fm.
ONLINE
Follow updates via a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
Saturday will start largely dry with some sunny spells, however early brightness will be replaced by wet and breezy weather, gradually moving up northwards across the region. Highest temperatures of 15 to 17 degrees with mostly fresh to strong south to southeast winds.
EUROS DREAMS HINGE PARTIALLY ON NATIONS LEAGUE
It's the start of a new era for the Republic of Ireland - more on that later - but it's also one for UEFA with the advent of the Women's Nations League.
Following on from the slightly older men's version of the tournament, competitive games against European opponents of similar stature will largely replace friendlies.
But the new competition will also have a direct knock on effect on the battle to qualify for the 2025 Women's European Championships, with Ireland looking to build on this summer's historic first World Cup appearance by getting to another major tournament.
They are in League B, the second of three tiers, in a round-robin group with Northern Ireland, Hungary and Albania and the Irish side will be aiming to earn promotion to the elite 16-team layer of League A for the Euro 2025 qualifiers which will use the exact same tiered and grouped format.
You can read about the Nations League format and how it impacts Euros qualification in detail here but in essence, how Ireland fare in this new tournament will determine which tier and potential play-off path they would find themselves in for the qualifiers.
NEW ERA STARTS UNDER A CLOUD
The aforementioned new era comes after the end of Vera Pauw's tenure as Ireland manager which was confirmed by the FAI late last month as they opted not to renew her contract following a review into the World Cup campaign.
Much has been said since that parting of ways. Pauw told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue that she felt her authority was undermined ahead of and during what was a historic major tournament appearance, while also criticising the review process.
The FAI eventually responded in a press conference just over a week ago in which they said their decision was based on Pauw's methods - especially in relation to training and conditioning - not being aligned with their own ethos.
While the players had been interviewed during the review process, publicly there had been silence from them. But that changed this week and in blunt fashion.
Veteran defender Diane Caldwell excoriated the Pauw era, claiming that the achievement of getting to the World Cup in Australia "was in spite of Vera being coach" and suggested that preparation was not up to "the standard expected at international level".
"We approached her many times about professionalising many aspects, but it was hard to get change," Caldwell added of Pauw.
Thus, the fallout from the World Cup has remained front and centre ahead of Saturday's clash with Northern Ireland, although interim head coach Eileen Gleeson, who at one time was Pauw's assistant, has looked to avoid lingering on the subject as she picked a squad that also features Tyler Toland, a player who had been out of the picture after a falling out with her predecessor.
AVIVA MILESTONE
The recent noise has cast a bit of a shadow over what should be a historic occasion for the Republic of Ireland women's national team.
While Tallaght Stadium has become their home fortress, Saturday will be their first opportunity to play in the more colossal confines of the Aviva Stadium.
Around 30,000 fans are expected to be in attendance for that momentous fixture, with returning forward Saoirse Noonan describing the successor to the old Lansdowne Road as "a field of dreams".
"We've pushed to get in the Aviva. We want a big crowd there, and we want to put on a show for everyone and perform. We know what this team is capable of now," said the Cork native.
"We have the crest on us every day. We're all just looking forward to Saturday. We want to make that a special occasion. It should be a special occasion, that's what we should be looking at."
THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD
The big talking point when the squad was originally named last week was the return of Tyler Toland for the first time since November 2019.
The Blackburn midfielder had a public falling out with Pauw, with the player's father becoming involved and the manager claiming that she had been subjected to "harassment and intimidation" by the Donegal man over his daughter's absence from the Irish squad, claims he vehemently denied.
Meanwhile, Áine O'Gorman and Harriet Scott retired after the World Cup, while injuries have ruled out Niamh Fahey, Megan Campbell, Aoife Mannion, Jessie Stapleton, Claire Walsh, Tara O'Hanlon, Roma McLaughlin, Jess Ziu, Sinead Farrelly and Leanne Kiernan.
Farrelly did subsequently play for her club Gotham FC at the weekend but the FAI later clarified that her unavailability for the international window was down to the fact that she had been advised not to make the long flight across the Atlantic due to a back issue.
Gleeson has also added ex-Ireland and Arsenal goalkeeper Emma Byrne - the country's most-capped player - and former Cork City manager and ex-men's senior international Colin Healy to her staff.
What will be interesting to see will be whether the Girls in Green play a more expansive style than they did under the more pragmatic tactical approach of Pauw.
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Megan Walsh (West Ham United)
Defenders: Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Claire O'Riordan (Standard Liege), Savannah McCarthy (Shamrock Rovers), Éabha O'Mahony (University of Texas), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Emily Whelan (Glasgow City)
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Watch Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday from 12.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2fm
