Friday, 27 October
UEFA WOMEN'S NATIONS LEAGUE
Republic of Ireland v Albania, Tallaght Stadium, 5.45pm.
TV
Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 5.15pm on Friday.
RADIO
Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ 2fm's Game On from 5.40pm.
ONLINE
Follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
Another showery day, with further heavy, possibly thundery showers developing in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees in moderate southeasterly winds, fresher along coasts.
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Momentum with an Irish side well on course for promotion
Last month was a complex one for the Ireland squad to navigate. Approaching a historic first appearance at the Aviva Stadium in their inaugural UEFA Women's Nations League opener, the divisive parting of ways with Vera Pauw had cast a long shadow, fuelled further when defender Diane Caldwell quite bluntly aired her evident frustrations with her experience during the former manager's tenure.
However, led by interim manager Eileen Gleeson, results on the pitch have pushed that narrative into the rearview mirror, brushing aside Northern Ireland and then Hungary away with a combined seven-goal haul and none conceded.
The Girls in Green now come into the October window with plenty of momentum in a League B group in which they are heavy promotion favourites.
On Friday, they welcome group minnows Albania to Tallaght Stadium before heading to Shkodër to face the same opposition on Monday and Ireland will be fully expected to gather another six-point haul and put one foot into the rarefied air of League A in time for next year's European Championship qualifiers.
Indeed, with back-to-back wins, they could mathematically seal top spot in the group with two games to spare by the end of this window if Northern Ireland and Hungary draw their head-to-head meetings or the Magyars claim four points across this long weekend.
Campbell and Farrelly return but no place for Sheva
The squad was named last week and marked the return of Megan Campbell who missed the World Cup following an injury.
But having returned to club football with Everton after signing a short-term deal, the 30-year-old's inclusion is a boost both for her famous long throw threat and the potential that her availability to slot in at wing-back could allow captain Katie McCabe to start in a more attacking role.
Sinead Farrelly is also back for the first time since the summer's adventure in Australia after missing September's games due to concerns around aggravating an injury with a long-haul flight.
But there was no place for Marissa Sheva, with Gleeson citing a lack of game-time for her club, although she remains on standby.
Midfileder Tyler Toland, whose Pauw era exile ended last month, will hope to build on the strong performances she demonstrated against Northern Ireland and Hungary, while Celtic defender Caitlin Hayes was outstanding both defensively and as a set-piece threat in her first involvement that month.
There is one domestic-based player in the 26 with Erin McLaughlin called-up off the back of her part in Peamount United's SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division title success.
Injuries do remain an issue however with Niamh Fahey, Aoife Mannion, Ruesha Littlejohn, Claire Walsh, Tara O'Hanlon, Roma McLaughlin, Jess Ziu and Leanne Kiernan all ruled out for the Albania double-header.
Albania unlikely to pose a significant threat
Ireland's current FIFA ranking of 24th puts them just within the further reaches of the elite League A standard as the 16th best side within UEFA.
As they showed on the pitch last month, the gap back to Hungary and Northern Ireland is sizeable and that is reflected in their respective FIFA rankings of 42nd and 47th.
But the deficit between Albania and those two is larger than the 20-something rankings places that separate Ireland from that duo.
The Albanians are ranked 72nd although in September they proved a tough nut to crack, drawing 1-1 with Hungary before narrowly falling to a 1-0 defeat on their trip to Belfast's Seaview Stadium.
Under both Pauw and Gleeson, Ireland have shown themselves to be ruthless against weaker opposition - think back to 20-goal aggregate they piled on against the currently 126th-ranked Georgia during the World Cup qualifiers - and will be confident of a comfortable win over Albania but those more recent results are a reminder that they could be awkward opponents.
Watch Republic of Ireland v Albania in UEFA Nations League on Friday from 5.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live radio commentary on 2fm's Game On from 5.40pm
Watch St Patrick's Athletic v Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland on Friday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7.45pm, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
