INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
Republic of Ireland v North Macedonia, Aviva Stadium, Tuesday 7.45pm.
TV
Live coverage on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm.
ONLINE
Live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
Cloudy overall on Tuesday, and staying mainly dry, with just a few light showers, but some bright or sunny breaks too. Feeling milder with highs of 13 or 14 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds.
THE GAME IRELAND DIDN'T WANT
The game that Ireland desperately didn't want to play is here and now they must make the most of it.
Still smarting from last Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to Czechia, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side have to dust themselves down for a home clash against North Macedonia.
The Boys in Green were minutes away from a qualifying play-off against Denmark before Ladislav Krejci’s 86th-minute equaliser forced extra-time and then a penalty shootout which Czechia would ultimately go on to win.
Hallgrimsson has the unenviable task of picking up his team and lifting morale for the visit of North Macedonia who were well beaten by the Danes, losing 4-0 in their semi-final.
It’s a game Ireland are favourites for and the visitors are currently in something of a slump with no wins in their last five games. Defeat to Denmark was preceded by a 7-1 hammering by Wales in November.
Tickets for the game are fully sold out, with supporters buying them up in the hope that they’d be watching a game where World Cup qualification is on the line.
There could be a big discrepancy between the ticket sales and the attendance but Hallgrimsson will be hoping that supporters turn up to help lift his team after Thursday’s disappointment.
IRELAND BOSS NOT IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MOOD
With nothing really riding on this game, there was the thought that Hallgrimsson could experiment with his team selection and his approach but the Ireland boss is eager to keep his side’s good form going.
Unbeaten since last October’s narrow 1-0 defeat away to Portugal, the Irish come into the game off the back of three wins and a draw.
Momentum can be difficult to maintain in international football and the manager is eager to see his side keep their good form going with no further games until the end of May where they meet Qatar in a friendly.
The manager has been forced into making some changes to his squad at least. Sammie Szmodics is ruled out after suffering concussion against Czechia, while Robbie Brady has a hamstring strain and won’t be risked.
Jack Taylor is also a doubt as his wife is recovering from illness.
Portsmouth winger Millenic Alli has been called into the squad but elsewhere it’s the same squad that drew in Czechia.
The Republic of Ireland are gearing up for their friendly against North Macedonia as they recover from their World Cup play-off heartbreak, reports Tony O'Donoghue #RTESoccer pic.twitter.com/f1Q9mpBnlB
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 30, 2026
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Hallgrimsson indicated that Alli had been called into the squad so management could get a look at him, while Bosun Lawal may be in line for his first international cap.
Harvey Vale, who came on for the briefest of cameos against Czechia, is likely to get so more extensive playing time, but the manager looks set to name a similar starting XI to last week’s game, with any experimentation coming off the bench,
He said: "It’s a possibility to give players a chance, a lot of them have been dying to come on the pitch and show what they can do.
"We’ve been pretty consistent in our team selection so it’s an opportunity, but I wouldn’t expect a lot of changes. I want these players to continue to perform and do well and again just growing, all the time growing.
"The thing is, in friendlies the new rules from FIFA, we can have eight substitutions in friendlies in three slots so it’s a possibility to make changes. No problem in that sense. But do we want it? First and foremost, we would want to do a good performance."
UNREST AND DRAMA MARS MACEDONIA PREPERATION
Like Hallgrimsson, the North Macedonia manager has to try and rouse his players for a game they'd rather not be playing, but Goce Sedloski is dealing with more than just a disappointed squad after their play-off defeat.
North Macedonia never showed much ambition to attack against the Danes and were able to keep things scoreless in the first-half, but Gustav Isaksen scored twice in two minutes to open the floodgates in the second-half with Mikkel Damsgaard and Christian Norgaard also getting on the scoresheet.
There was plenty of fallout within the Macedonia squad in the aftermath of that game, with two players leaving to return to the clubs.
Lokomotiva Zagreb player Aleksandar Trajkovski, who is one cap away from 100 for his country, did not feature against the Danes, prompting his wife to take to social media to criticise his omission from the team.
Rangers forward Bojan Miovski has also left the Macedonian camp to return to Ibrox. Miovski did get onto the pitch but was unable to hide his frustration at not starting the game and he will play no part against Ireland.
Manager Sedloski has attempted to diffuse a difficult situation.
He explained: "Aleksandar Trajkovski was not happy that he did not start in the first team, but at this moment I believe that he is not physically at the level necessary to respond to the demands of such a match.
"Our plan was, if necessary, for Trajkovski to get a chance in the final, but the course of the match did not require that. There is no reason for anyone to feel offended.
"The situation was similar with Bojan Miovski, who was also not happy that he did not start, but it must be accepted that there are 23 players in the national team and no one is guaranteed a place in the starting lineup."
Watch Republic of Ireland v North Macedonia on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app
