Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic Of Ireland squad prepare to visit close neighbours, England at Wembley stadium this Wednesday evening in a much anticipated game that certain media outlets have dubbed as, "more than a friendly".
The last time these sides met was back in 1995 at the old Lansdowne Road. The match was abandoned after 27 minutes when Ireland went 1-0 up thanks to a David Kelly goal. A section of English fans behind the goal began to riot which quickly escalated and more than 50 people were injured in the attacks. A stoppage was called and the game was recorded as a 0-0 draw.
18 years on and the two footballing nations have seen drastic changes. The hosts come into this game on a three game unbeaten streak with a notable 2-1 win over Brazil in a friendly in February. World Cup 2014 qualification looks a certainty for England and are unbeaten in their opening 5 games of the qualification process.
Ireland also come into this game on a three game unbeaten streak but will be disappointed to not have turned two draws against Sweden and Austria into wins which would have given the Irish nation a big boost in the hopes of qualifying for the World Cup next summer.
In a week that has seen players from both sides pull out due to injury, it's refreshing to see Robbie Keane desperately attempting to get into the squad to line out at Wembley with the national team. Keane, who plays for the LA Galaxy was originally told he can't go due to the MLS season still ongoing and was required to fulfill his club duties.
Lengthy talks between LA Galaxy and the FAI now sees Keane preparing with the rest of the squad.
England are set to give Ashley Cole the captain's armband as the Chelsea full back is set to make his 100th appearance in the white shirt while Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are all set to start in this intriguing match up.
Trapattoni has also named his team which sees Stephen Kelly return to the left back position in place of the injured Marc Wilson.
James McCarthy lines up beside combative midfielder Glen Whelan in the middle of midfield while Aiden McGeady will hope to feed balls to the front pairing of Robbie Keane and Shane Long.
This is essentially a derby game and they say the form guide goes out the window for these type of games
so who knows what to expect but I think I speak for all when I say that I hope this time around, that the headlines will be purely about the football and nothing else.
Prediction: Ireland 0-2 England
England team to play Ireland (unconfirmed): Hart, Johnson, Jagielka, Lescott, Cole, Carrick, Lampard, Walcott, Rooney, Chamberlain, Welbeck
Ireland team to play England (confirmed): Forde, Coleman, O'Shea, St Ledger, Kelly, Walters, McCarthy, Whelan, McGeady, Keane, Long
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Shane Saunders
Twitter: @ShaneSaunders88
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