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Katie McCabe on bench, Jessie Stapleton and Leanne Kiernan start in Greece

Katie McCabe arrives at Theodoros Vardinogiannis stadium
Katie McCabe arrives at Theodoros Vardinogiannis stadium

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe has been left on the bench for this afternoon's Nations League clash against Greece due to a calf strain, with Jessie Stapleton and Leanne Kiernan back in the starting XI.

McCabe picked up the injury during Arsenal's 3-0 defeat of Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final nine days ago. She's managing her minutes but is available for boss Carla Ward if required.

In total, Ward has made four changes to the team that slumped to a 4-0 loss against Slovenia in February.

Megan Campbell was forced to pull out of the Slovenia match after the warm-up but she's recovered to start on the left side of defence in place of McCabe.

With Heather Payne nursing an ankle injury, Stapleton slots into the back line, while Tyler Toland goes into the engine room in Megan Connolly's absence, and Kiernan gets the nod ahead of Amber Barrett in what looks like a 4-3-3.

Meanwhile Denise O'Sullivan takes the armband - the Cork woman will become her country's second most capped women's international, making her 122nd appearance.

If they can beat the Greeks, and the Slovenians slip against Turkey this afternoon, then automatic promotion to League A is back in Ireland's hands.

They welcome Greece to Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday. At the end of May they travel to Turkey before finishing the campaign against Slovenia at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Aoife Mannion, Jessie Stapleton, Anna Patten, Megan Campbell; Tyler Toland, Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O'Sullivan (capt); Lucy Quinn, Kyra Carusa, Leanne Kiernan


Watch Greece v Republic of Ireland in the Women's Nations League today from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.

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