UEFA WOMEN'S NATIONS LEAGUE
Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland, Windsor Park, 6.00pm
TV
Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 5.30pm
RADIO
Listen to live radio commentary on 2fm
ONLINE
Follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
Can the Republic of Ireland complete the clean sweep?
Has there ever been a more successfuly campaign at senior level on the international stage? Five wins from five with one game remaining, it has been a remarkable run of games for Eileen Gleeson's side.
Coming off the back of the chaos of the World Cup exit and loss of head coach Vera Pauw, the Ireland team were expected to hit the ground running in September as the Nations League kicked off.
All the hard work to qualify for the summer's World Cup might have been lost had Ireland struggled in their group, however, they have continued to push forward and have done so in style with several comprehensive victories en route to winning every game thus far in their campaign.
Gleeson's side had their group won with two games to spare and have already guaranteed a place in League A thanks to that particular accolade, and they will now look to continue that winning mentality and maintain momentum with a win in Belfast against a team that they easily accounted for at the Aviva Stadium in September.
Irrespective of the quality of opposition in their League B group, this Ireland team have got the job done with minimum fuss and put themselves in a great position heading into next year's Euro 2025 qualifying campaign.
Goodbye Gleeson?
Eileen Gleeson has done her best to stay out of the spotlight throughout her role as interim head coach of this Ireland team. Taking over at short notice following Pauw's post-World Cup departure, Gleeson has barely put a foot wrong and has led the team to five consecutive competitive victories.
The stand-in coach would give little away in relation to her ambition or aspiration to take on the role on a permanent basis, however, that decision appears to be imminent with the FAI set to name the successor to take the team forward.
Gleeson was still unwilling to comment on the role this week, however, she did imply that her future would be with the team, suggesting that she could be set to return to her original position within the organisation as head of women's football.
Whoever the FAI do bring in will have big shoes to fill following Pauw's prowess of guiding the team to the promised land of the World Cup, as well as Gleeson's ability to step in and build on that success.
The team will be looking for an experienced coach who will match their ambitions, and they will be anxious for the appointment to be made sooner rather than later.
Sinead Farrelly left on the bench
The interim Ireland coach has been praised throughout her three-month tenure for encouraging and advocating a more attack-minded approach to tactics, while giving Katie McCabe a more advanced role in the team.
And while the tactics have worked for the most part, the team struggled for large parts of Friday's home tie against Hungary.
Ireland looked suspect in defence and were unable to dominate the visitors, who fielded a more experinced unit than in the reverse fixture, and Gleeson's selection were really lacking creativity in the final third.
Luckily for Ireland, despite Hungary's improved attacking play, they remained suspect in defence and were always liable to give a goal away, which is exactly what happened on the night as Henrietta Csiszar bundled the ball into the back of her own net in the 66th minute.
But it was no coincidence that just two minutes earlier, Sinead Farrelly entered the contest, replacing Tyler Toland, who had started in midfield alongside Ruesha Littlejohn.
Farrelly showed her class from the moment she came onto the pitch and helped Ireland to see out the game comfortably, showing composure on the ball and creativity in attack throughout the final 30 minutes.
The interim coach said after the game that her exclusion was down to tactics, however, she will surely see the benefit of having the US-based Farrelly on the pitch tomorrow night rather than a watching brief from the subs' bench.
"Brilliant," said Gleeson, when asked about Farrelly's impact off the bench. "That's what we were missing that we didn't take care of the ball and Sinead came on and took care of it very well.
"We knew they were going to do different things. We needed to be a lot more aggressive. Sinead's strengths are on the ball, sop we needed to be a little bit safer first and then bring her on. And she did impact the game, of course."
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Sinead Farrelly (NJ/NY Gotham), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Freya Healy (Peamount United), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Ellen Dolan (Peamount United)
Watch Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday from 5.30pm 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
