The Republic of Ireland host Denmark at the Aviva Stadium in the UEFA Nations League for the first time since their 5-1 mauling in the second leg of their World Cup Qualifying play-off.
The Danes' star man, Christian Eriksen, put the Irish to the sword that day, scoring a hat-trick, but injury keeps him out of his country's second fixture in this competition.
His double got Denmark all three points in their opening fixture against Wales, and Age Hareide's side will have to replace the midfielder's goals in his absence.
Ireland, however, were beaten soundly by the Welsh and will need a much-improved performance from the 4-1 defeat if they are to avoid a similar scoreline against a side who have lost just once in two years.
| Game | Republic of Ireland vs Denmark |
| Date | Saturday, October 13 |
| Time | 7:45pm BST / 2:45pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | LiveSoccerTV |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live with LiveSoccerTV.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | LiveSoccerTV |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Football and it can be streamed live online using Sky Go. The game can also be followed live on Goal here .
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Republic of Ireland squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Doyle, Randolph, McDermott |
| Defenders | Christie, Doherty, Duffy, Keogh, Clark, Long, Egan, Stevens, Lenihan, D. Williams |
| Midfielders | Hendrick, Hourihane, Browne, S. Williams, Meyler, Arter, O'Dowda, McClean |
| Forwards | Long, Maguire, Robinson, O'Brien, Hogan |
Ireland boss Martin O'Neill is without star defender Seamus Coleman, while Stephen Ward is also injured, leaving the hosts short at full-back.
However, Shane Long and James McClean appear to have recovered in time from ankle and wrist injuries, respectively.
Potential Ireland XI: Randolph; Stevens, Clark, Duffy, Christie; Arter; McClean, Hourihane, Hendrick, O'Dowda; Long
| Position | Denmark squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Schmeichel, Ronnow, Lossl |
| Defenders | Kjaer, Ankersen, Christensen, Stryger Larsen, Zanka, Vestergaard, Dalsgaard, Knudsen |
| Midfielders | Schone, Delaney, Hojbjerg, Jensen, Lerager, Christiansen |
| Forwards | Poulsen, Braithwaite, Cornelius, Sisto, Dolberg, Gytkjaer |
Denmark's most glaring issue is the absence of Tottenham midfielder Eriksen, who is their most potent goal-threat and regular set-piece taker.
Aside from that, Hareide has no other significant injuries to contend with, although Rosenborg striker Nicklas Bendtner misses out after being charged with assaulting a taxi driver in Copenhagen last month.
Potential Denmark XI: Schmeichel; Stryger Larsen, Kjaer, Christensen, Dalsgaard; Delaney, Hojbjerg, Schone; Sisto, Cornelius, Poulsen
Betting & Match Odds
Denmark are favourites to win the match according to bet365 , who price them at 7/5. Ireland are considered a 13/5 bet to win at home and a draw is available at 2/1.
Match Preview
Ireland sit bottom of Group B4 in the Nations League after their defeat to Wales, while Denmark are above Wales on goal difference with a game in hand.
A win in Ireland would put the Danes in pole position to top the Group and achieve promotion, while the hosts need to pick up points from somewhere quickly if they are to avoid relegation.
They will be thankful that Eriksen, who has scored 15 in his last 17 competitive appearances for Denmark, is sidelined through injury, but their performance in Wales should be cause for real concern.
Speaking to a press conference ahead of the game, Denmark head coach Hareide said: "[Eriksen]’s a good player, an important player for us, but we haven’t focused on him not being there but on the players who are here. We may have to play a different way without him but we have shown we have a lot of good players in Denmark. We don’t want being without Christian to be an excuse after the game. We need to show ourselves and do our best.”
Hareide also praised the new Nations League and alluded to his side's aim of promotion to a higher division, with the aim of playing European heavyweights on a regular basis: “It’s a lot better than playing friendly matches and it gives you a chance to play against the top teams the next time if you get promoted – that’s very interesting.
“It’s usually very hard to get games against teams like France, Spain and Germany, teams who attract huge crowds.”
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