On Friday week, Martin O'Neill's team will take to the pitch at AVIVA Stadium, 132 days after their last game against Austria in Vienna. According to reports, the manager will name his squad for the qualifier, and the friendly against Iceland on the following Tuesday, tomorrow. With that in mind, we've examined the appearance details for Irish players to predict the squad.
Goalkeepers
Kieren Westwood, Darren Randolph, Ian Lawlor.
Pretty straightforward choices here. Westwood and Randolph have been squad stalwarts for O'Neill since he took over, with Randolph likely to start the qualifier and Westwood looking to add to his caps in the friendly. We've added Ian Lawlor as the third choice keeper with an eye to the future. The former Manchester City trainee has slotted straight into the Doncaster first team since signing for them in January, keeping four clean sheet in his eleven appearances to date for Donny, and should be playing League One football next season.
Defenders
Stephen Ward, Greg Cunningham, Ciaran Clark, Richard Keogh, Paul McShane, John O'Shea, Seamus Coleman, Cyrus Christie
After some excellent performances in Preston North End's defence, Greg Cunningham should be looking forward to another call up to one of Martin O'Neill's squads and possibly his first cap since 2013. Cyrus Christie has returned from injury successfully for Derby and is unfortunate to find himself vying for the same position as the form full back in the Premier League, and Ireland captain, Seamus Coleman.
Midfielders
Jonathan Hayes, Daryl Horgan, Harry Arter, Jeff Hendrick, Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, Aiden McGeady, James McClean, Wes Hoolahan, Robbie Brady (suspended for Wales)
Hayes currently tops the SPL assists chart with nine of his passes resulting in goals, three more than the closest challenger (although some sites do credit St Johnstone's Dan Swanson with seven assists). Horgan has taken to the Championship like a duck to water with two goals and three assists in his eleven appearances for Preston so far. Aiden McGeady is in excellent form, and is the current Championship Player of the Month.
Strikers
Jonathan Walters, Shane Long, Daryl Murphy, Adam Rooney
We would also like to see the manager examine the nascent League of Ireland season,where Sean Maguire has already notched three goals. Otherwise, Martin O'Neill might want to extend his squad selection to Australia, where Andy Keogh and Roy O'Donovan have scored seven and six goals respectively since the Austria game
Extended squad members
Colin Doyle, Robert Elliot, Derrick Williams, Matt Doherty, Andy Boyle, Alex Pearce, Conor Hourihane, Darragh Lenihan, David Meyler, Kevin Doyle, Sean Maguire
Note that, at the time of writing, James McCarthy, Richard Keogh and Ciaran Clark's injury situation has yet to be clarified.
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