All roads lead to Cork as the Republic of Ireland wrap up their Euro 2025 qualification campaign against France at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh this evening.

It's five defeats out of five for the Girls in Green so far, and yet spirits are relatively high thanks to one late consolation goal and a couple of novelty factors.

Julie-Ann Russell's hooked stoppage-time volley against England at Carrow Road last Friday didn't prevent Ireland from slipping to a 2-1 loss, but there was an intense relief about finding the net for the first time in eight games. More importantly, it enhanced their overall European Qualifiers ranking, which directly impacts seeding status for the play-offs.

Ireland are ahead of Poland on goal difference (they have a four-goal buffer), and must keep it that way to ensure they will be seeded for the play-offs.

Julie-Ann Russell pinched a goal back against England

Russell is also responsible for one of the novelties that's lifted morale in the camp. Baby Rosie has been the star of the show behind the scenes, keeping her mam company at the squad's Castleknock Hotel base last week and reuniting with her in Cork on Sunday.

"She's the most welcome member, new addition to squad," said Gleeson of the one-year-old. "It creates a lovely environment and helps Julie-Ann stay in the game."

The other unusual aspect to the build-up is the venue: around 14,500 tickets have been shifted for the landmark international at the home of Cork GAA. The pitch dimensions have been shrunk at the Páirc, much to Katie McCabe's relief. "I was apprehensive about how wide the pitch was going to be but they've taken it in!" she laughed, waving her arms at the ground's wide open field.

McCabe returns for this one after serving a one-game suspension. Gleeson is still without Kyra Carusa (hamstring) and Heather Payne (Achilles) but the head coach has no new injury concerns.

She will almost definitely shake up her starting XI, however.

Ireland were lucky to get out of Carrow Road with a 2-1 loss. They were pummelled in the first 20 minutes as the hosts poured through a 3-5-2 shape that badly malfunctioned. Gleeson made amendments after a break in play and Ireland were better thereafter.

Katie McCabe is back for Ireland

"We changed the flat (midfield) three to a two and a one," she elaborated. "And the strikers were meant to be engaging higher so we had to reinforce that message, that they were the first line of the press. That wasn't happening so the England centre-backs obviously had a lot of time on the ball that we didn’t want them to have."

Amber Barrett and Emily Murphy were the two up top and they were replaced at the interval for Russell and Leanne Kiernan respectively. The energetic subs did well in a decent second-half Irish display and are entitled to feel they have earned a start on Leeside.

McCabe will probably be deployed at left wing-back, so someone is getting squeezed out of the back line; possibly Anna Patten, with Aoife Mannion moving inside to take one of the central defensive slots.

Lily Agg toiled hard in the engine room last time out but struggled to have an impact so Megan Connolly - raised in Turner's Cross - could come into the middle of the park alongside fellow Corkonian Denise O'Sullivan and Ruesha Littlejohn.

France wrapped up automatic qualification with a 2-1 win against Sweden on Friday. Sakina Karchaoui and Marie-Antoinette Katoto were on target as they eked out three points that mean they cannot finish outside the top two.

Nonetheless, boss Herve Renard insisted they're taking this game seriously. The outgoing coach has one eye on the upcoming Olympics - his farewell tournament - where they'll face Colombia, New Zealand and the reigning champions Canada.

"Of course it's better for us to come here with qualification in the pocket," he said, when asked if he might rotate. "But we also have another target, which is to finish top of the group, because that will be important when it comes to the draw for Euro 2025."

France boss Herve Renard

Renard will exit after the Paris Games, having aired his intention to manage a team at the 2026 men's World Cup. The well-travelled 55-year-old will have no shortage of suitors. The USA are the latest country to be linked to his services after they sacked Gregg Berhalter in the wake of their Copa America group-stage exit.

"It was a new experience, and a very interesting experience in terms of management," Renard said, when asked how he had found his first job in women's football.

"It is so different. The football is still the same, but the management outside, to prepare the game, it is completely different.

"Women are different to men. They are more emotional. So this is different. I had to change my management a little bit sometimes. With the men, sometimes I am very hard. You have to say the same things but in a different way."

Renard, unwittingly and unexpectedly, sounding a bit like Kenny Shiels then as he prepares to head off into the sunset. He played his cards close to his chest in terms of what sort of team he'll start in what is really a game of little consequence for France.

Still they have so much depth that it's almost irrelevant. First and foremost, Ireland must shake off their costly habit of starting games slowly while eradicating the sloppiness that has seen them concede three penalties and three goals from set-pieces in five matches.

Gleeson is adamant they have improved throughout the campaign but there's a worrying consistency when it comes to the sort of mistakes her team is making.

As much as anything this evening, they need to stop gift-wrapping elite sides goals they barely have to work for. Do that, and they'll at least give themselves a fighting chance.

Possible teams

Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Jess Ziu, Caitlin Hayes, Niamh Fahey, Aoife Mannion, Katie McCabe; Ruesha Littlejohn, Megan Connolly, Denise O'Sullivan; Leanne Kiernan, Julie-Ann Russell

France: Constance Picaud; Eve Perisset, Maelle Lakrar, Thiniba Samoura, Estelle Cascarino; Amandine Henry, Léa Le Garrec, Selma Bacha; Sandy Baltimore, Julie Dufour, Vicki Becho

Prediction: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France


Watch Republic of Ireland v France in Women's Euro 2025 qualifying on Tuesday from 5.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On


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