Noel King’s side meet the Azeris at Dalga Stadium in Baku (4.00pm Irish) looking to build on a 1-0 win over Kosovo in their opening Group 5 encounter in March. Kosovo currently top the group following their win over Norway last Thursday.
Azerbaijan lost 3-1 to Israel in their first game in the group last Thursday. Current UEFA U21 Champions Germany are also in Group 5 and will play their first game tomorrow against the Kosovans.
The nine group winners will qualify automatically for the 2019 finals in Italy. The four runners-up with the best records against the teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their group will go into the play-offs.
King is pleased with how his side are shaping up ahead of the clash in Baku after the logistical challenge of transferring the squad, kit, equipment and medical supplies more than 5,000km from Dublin for the fixture.
“The work put in ahead of this trip from our equipment officer James Connell has to be recognised and the logistics around this type of game are a challenge in themselves,” said King.
Connell explained the process in preparing everything for a game like this and work put into the game before the Irish players even met up for their flight to Azerbaijan via Istanbul.
“The equipment was sent by DHL more than two weeks ago. It takes four days to clear the kit side of things and the medical equipment requires a further two days clearance from the local Department of Health,” said Connell.
“A game like this can be up to eight days longer from start to finish when you added in the stop over in Istanbul where we trained so we had to also bring equipment with us for that part of the journey. It’s a tough challenge but things have gone according to plan.”
King watched the Azeris against Israel on Thursday and feels that they will be a threat but is confident that his Irish side can produce a performance.
“The bumps and bruises are clearing up. The players have adapted to the climate, the heat and the three-hour time difference which does require getting used to,” said the Irish Head Coach.
“The anxiety lifts a notch when you get closer to the game. We look back on the Kosovo game and the result we got there, if you look at how they’ve done since I think it puts that into perspective. They were fantastic three points. To go to Azerbaijan and win would be a huge result but its something we’re capable of doing.
“I felt Israel deserved to win the game last Thursday but Azerbaijan had large periods of control in the game and were dominant. They had their opportunities but didn’t take them and then Israel went on to win. They’re two different styles and I think we’re more similar too Azerbaijan in style than we are to Israel.
“It’s going to be a very interesting game and it’s one I feel we can do well and hopefully win.”
King is pleased with how his players have progressed at club level in recent months and feels they go into the tie in confident form.
“A lot of them are playing first team football which is very unusual for us at this stage of the competition,” said King.
“It’s great to see players doing well individually but the challenge is to bring it together as a team and see if they improve on how we played against Kosovo. It’s a daunting challenge given the travel and conditions but if they want to progress to the senior level then these are the games to prove that in.
“People at home may not know much about Azerbaijan but they’ve ten million people here, they’ve great resources and they’re making strides forward. We have to make sure we match them. These teams are stronger than people maybe realise.
“Azeribaijan have players from clubs such as Qarabag who’ve qualified for the Champions League and have Europa League experience. We’ve got to match that level.”
Republic of Ireland Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kieran O’Hara (Manchester Utd), Liam Bossin (Nottm Forest)
Defenders: Danny Kane (Huddersfield), Ryan Sweeney (Stoke City - on-loan at Bristol Rovers), Shaun Donnellan (West Bromwich Albion - on-loan at Walsall), Corey Whelan (Liverpool), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Ryan Delaney (Burton Albion - on-loan at Cork City)
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (West Ham United - on-loan at Bolton Wanderers), Harry Charsley (Everton), Conor Shaughnessy (Leeds United), Ryan Manning (QPR), Liam Kinsella (Walsall), Connor Ronan (Wolves)
Forwards: Reece Greco-Cox (QPR), Ronan Curtis (Derry City), Joe Quigley (Bournemouth - on-loan at Newport County), Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT)
Fixture
UEFA U21 Championships Qualifying Round Group 5
Tuesday, September 5
Azerbaijan v Republic of Ireland, Dalga Stadium, Baku (16:00 Irish)
via GET Sportonline
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