WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE?
International friendly: Republic of Ireland v Belgium, Saturday 5pm, Aviva Stadium.
RADIO
Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
ONLINE
Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News App.
WEATHER
Wrap up warm if you're heading to the Aviva. It's forecast to be windy with sunny spells and widespread showers, some heavy. There's a chance of hail too with highest temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees.
NEW FACES ON AND OFF THE PITCH
The Christmas trees are back in the attic, Easter eggs line the shelves, and we're still waiting to learn who will be the new Ireland head coach. The FAI are expected to name their man by early April, but the well-liked John O'Shea looks like a safe pair of hands in the meantime.
The former Manchester United centre-half is in charge for the Belgium and Switzerland friendlies, bringing the sagely Brian Kerr back into the fold as technical advisor.
Their presence should bring some vibrancy to Saturday evening's friendly, with a few fresh faces looking to stake their claim.
In-form Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics, Lyon centre-half Jake O'Brien and Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz are all in O'Shea's squad, with Szmodics' inclusion of particular interest.
The Championship's top scorer is having a brilliant campaign at club level. He qualifies for Ireland through his Co Longford-born grandmother but international football has arrived late for Szmodics, who is now 28.
He pulled out of the Ireland squad last October due to family reasons and briefly looked like he might throw his lot in with the Hungarians.
Hungary manager Marco Rossi seemed to believe the attacker would declare for the country of his grandfather's birth, and has recently suggested Szmodics courted Hungary to enhance his prospects of an Ireland call-up.
Szmodics has rubbished such talk, insisting his intentions were always to pull on the green jersey.
He could potentially form an interesting frontline pairing alongside Evan Ferguson, with the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene and Mikey Johnston offering pace on the flanks.
Troy Parrott's injury-enforced absence further heightens the possibility of Szmodics getting a start, while Liam Scales' withdrawal also gives O'Brien a chance of getting a run.
O'Shea has declared his intention to get Ireland back into the habit of winning games. It'll be interesting to see if he veers significantly away from Kenny's approach when it comes to setting up the team.
BIG GUNS ABSENT FOR BELGIUM, WHILE A HIGH-PROFILE RIFT RUMBLES ON
Ireland have had a rough few months, but things aren't completely serene in the Belgian camp either.
They come to Dublin without the injured Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku (both have groin issues), while Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be out of action for several weeks after suffering a meniscus tear in his right knee during training.
Courtois hadn't actually been included in the squad anyway. He's been at loggerheads with manager Domenico Tedesco ever since he was overlooked for the captaincy in a Euros qualifier against Austria last June.
Earlier this week, Tedesco said the 31-year-old wasn't in his plans for this summer's tournament in Germany, claiming: "I tried everything to take him to the European Championship, but the last thing I heard was that he didn't feel ready to go. It was clear and honest on his part."
Courtois not so subtly responded to those comments by posting three Pinocchio emojis on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, which suggests he is not in full agreement with his manager's take on things (shades here of Katie McCabe's zipped mouth emoji in the wake of her fallout with Vera Pauw).
Regardless, Belgium - ranked fourth in the world - arrive with lots of quality. And despite the spat with Courtois, Tedesco's stock is high.
Still only 38, the former Schalke, Spartak Moscow and RB Leipzig head coach succeeded Roberto Martinez after the 2022 World Cup and led Belgium through an unbeaten qualifying campaign for Euro 2024.
He's undefeated in 10 games, with the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) confirming last week that he has signed a new contract until at least the 2026 World Cup.
"We did not hesitate for a moment about Domenico Tedesco's contact extension," RBFA CEO Piet Vandendriessche said. "With a rejuvenated squad, he achieved a fantastic qualifying campaign for the European Championship."
Tedesco, born in Italy and raised in Germany, is a bright young coach who's made swift progress. His teams are intelligently set up, playing with width, fluidity and movement. He had an instant impact at RB Leipzig after replacing Jesse Marsch in December 2021, guiding them to the Europa League semi-finals and winning the German Cup.
Things soured the following season, with Tedesco getting the axe after a poor start. However he's flourished with the Belgians, and may yet get a crack at one of the bigger jobs in club football further down the line.
HOW IS IT GOING TO GO?
The two countries last met in Mach 2022, playing out a 2-2 draw in Dublin with Alan Browne plundering a late leveller for the Boys in Green.
That was one of the brighter days in Stephen Kenny's reign. Belgium were ranked No 1 in the world at the time, however then-manager Roberto Martinez elected to choose players with fewer than 50 caps for the game as he gave finge men a chance to put their hands up for World Cup selection.
Even though they'll be missing De Bruyne and Lukaku this weekend, the visitors will be stronger than two years ago. It'll be a big ask for Ireland to avoid defeat, but O'Shea and Kerr will hope to get the crowd on side early doors and at least cause their talented opponents some problems.
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REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu, Caoimhin Kelleher, Mark Travers
Defenders: Seamus Coleman, Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Andrew Omobamidele, Dara O'Shea, Jake O'Brien, Robbie Brady, Festy Ebosele
Midfielders: Josh Cullen, Jason Knight, Will Smallbone, Jamie McGrath, Callum O'Dowda, Mark Sykes, Finn Azaz, Mikey Johnston
Forwards: Evan Ferguson, Adam Idah, Michael Obafemi, Sammie Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene
BELGIUM SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Arnaud Bodart, Koen Casteels, Thomas Kaminski, Matz Sels
Defenders: Timothy Castagne, Koni De Winter, Zeno Debast, Wout Faes, Thomas Meunier, Arthur Theate, Jan Vertonghen
Midfielders: Olivier Deman, Jeremy Doku, Dodi Lukebakio, Orel Mangala, Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Arthur Vermeeren, Aster Vranckx
Forwards: Johan Bakayoko, Michy Batshuayi, Charles De Ketelaere, Lois Openda, Leandro Trossard
Follow a live blog on Republic of Ireland v Belgium this Saturday from 5pm on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
