Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward insists her side "won't just park the bus" as they look to upset a strong Belgian outfit in the first leg of their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off at Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
Belgium are ranked 20th in the world, seven places above the Girls in Green, and showed flashes of their attacking capabilities during last summer's Euros, though they failed to emerge from the group stages.
Back in April, Elisabet Gunnarsdottir's charges were hammered 5-0 by England in the Nations League but then scalped the Lionesses 3-2 just four days later in Leuven, near Brussels. The Red Flames are a classic momentum team: fragile when they're on the ropes; lethal once their tails are up.
Promotion to the top tier of the Nations League is up for grabs in this two-legged affair, which would boost Ireland's chances for 2027 World Cup qualification. And Ward has promised to resist leaning back on the ropes to try and take an advantage into Tuesday's second leg at Den Dreef Stadium.
"I always say I think you have to have a belief and a mentality and a confidence so you can compete against anybody," said Ward.
"Belgium have got some unbelievable qualities. At the Euros, they were by far the best transition team there and we have to be very, very aware of their qualities, but I believe we've got quality.
"We've got an abundance of quality within our ranks. So, we have to believe, we have to be confident, we have to be assured that we can go and play with the ball because I do believe that and I think these guys do as well. So, yeah, we won't be looking to just park the bus, so to speak."
'We have to believe... we won't be looking to just park the bus'
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 23, 2025
Carla Ward is aware of Belgium's quality but insists her team will be ambitious in the Nations League play-off#UWNL pic.twitter.com/swt4aVleEK
Perhaps Ward is still scarred by Ireland's 4-0 loss to Slovenia in February when her team were taken to the cleaners on the break. She has referenced Belgium's strength in transition several times.
They did steady the ship after that Slovenia nightmare, reeling off four wins on the bounce to take second place in their Nations League group, before losing twice to the USA in two friendlies played in brutal heat and altitude.
This will be a litmus test for how things are evolving under Ward, who took the reins last January.
"We're set on it now," she said when asked if she knew her starting XI. "It's really interesting because when you come into camp you always have an idea of what it potentially looks like and then people change your mind in training.
"You try different combinations and then something clicks and yesterday that happened and we were very clear come the end of training yesterday what that looked like. So, yeah, we're set. We're ready to go and we're positive we've got the right selection."
Anna Patten is suspended, with Caitlin Hayes set to fill her shoes, while Ward has a decision to make on who replaces the injured Courtney Brosnan in goal. It's between Sunderland's Grace Moloney and Sophie Whitehouse of Charlton, with the former more likely to get the nod.
Wearing the armband of course will be Katie McCabe. The Arsenal star is two games away from reaching 100 caps and joining an elite club that includes Denise O'Sullivan, Ciara Grant, Emma Byrne, Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell and Aine O'Gorman. "Hopefully, I'll be around for a few more years," she laughed. "Unfortunately for you, you still have to listen to me."
McCabe urged supporters to come out in force and back a team that does not get to grace Lansdowne Road too often. Over 15,000 tickets have been shifted, but the Dubliner is hoping there'll be a late surge in interest.
"We need you," she said. "We know how important the fans are for us. Whether that's at Tallaght or here in the Aviva Stadium. Their energy and the atmosphere they bring gives us that extra lease of life on the pitch.
"I urge everyone to come out and give us a hand and get behind us because we're going to need them tomorrow night for sure."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Belgium in the UEFA Women's Nations League play-offs on Friday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live radio commentary on an extended Game On with 2fm.
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