Team to face Gibraltar
1. Keiren Westwood: WESTWOOD HAS STARTED the season relatively well at Sheffield Wednesday and deserves a chance in a game in which the goalkeeper presumably won’t be tested too much.
2. Brian Lenihan: If O’Neill is confident enough to call Lenihan up to the squad, he should surely be confident enough to play him, and Gibraltar reprsents the perfect game to blood the former Cork City player.
3. Stephen Ward: One of the few players that O’Neill can ill afford to rest ahead of the Germany game given Ireland’s shortage of options at left-back.
4. Alex Pearce: A regular for Reading in the Championship, Pearce is capable of stepping in and doing a decent job to allow John O’Shea and Marc Wilson to rest up ahead of the Germany game.
5. Ciaran Clark: The defender hasn’t gotten too much game time for Villa this season, but will fancy his chances of keeping a clean sheet against a Gibraltar side that are unlikely to be on the attack too often.
6. Darron Gibson: The Everton man is still recovering from a long-term injury, and so might not be ready for the intensity of the Germany match, however Gibraltar should be a different story.
7. Robbie Brady: Another player whose first-team action has been limited. Brady has started just one league game for Hull this season, but he should have plenty of opportunities to impress should he be given the nod tomorrow.
8. Jeff Hendrick: Hendrick already has two goals for Derby in the Championship this season and impressed for Ireland in the summer internationals.
9. Daryl Murphy: The Ipswich striker is easily the most in-form British-based striker in the squad with five goals in his last seven appearances, and so deserves a chance to continue this record against Gibraltar.
10. Robbie Keane: Though O’Neill will be understandably reticent to play Keane in the Germany match where defence will be the priority, Ireland’s record goalscorer should be given a chance to add to his incredible tally on Saturday.
11. Anthony Pilkington: The winger is an intelligent player with an eye for a goal and such instincts could come in handy against a team that could prove tricky to break down.
(4-4-2 formation)
Westwood
Lenihan Clark Pearce Ward
Pilkington Gibson Hendrick Brady
Keane Murphy
Team to face Germany
(David Forde is expected to start against Germany on Tuesday)
1. David Forde: O’Neill’s stuck with Forde up until now, and so it would be a big surprise if the Millwall stopper was dropped for their biggest qualifier so far.
2. David Meyler: Arguably the most difficult choice Martin O’Neill has to make in the absence of Seamus Coleman. Meyler has played at right-back for Ireland before and done reasonably well, so should be favoured owing to Leinhan’s lack of big-game experience.
3. Stephen Ward: The lack of competition at left-back means it’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Ward starting at left-back on Tuesday.
4. Marc Wilson: An ever-present in the Stoke team this season, barring injury, Wilson looks virtually certain to start at centre-back against Germany.
5. John O’Shea: Likely to add to his 96 caps on Tuesday, O’Shea could also be named as captain should O’Neill opt to start Keane on the bench.
6. Glenn Whelan: Not the most popular player but Whelan represents a solid selection well used to helping to upset superior opponents with Stoke.
7. Aiden McGeady: With five goals in 70 appearances, McGeady’s Ireland scoring record is hardly spectacular, but he’s still managed more at international level than any non-striker in the squad. He is consequently highly likely to start against Germany, particularly after his heroics in Georgia during the last qualifier.
8. Stephen Quinn: Not the most spectacular player but an efficient one nonetheless. He was one of Ireland’s best performers against Georgia, and so dropping him on Tuesday would be very harsh.
9. Shane Long: Ireland badly need a player who can hold up the ball against Germany and Long is the obvious candidate, even if that means dropping the prolific Keane.
10. Wes Hoolahan: Ireland’s most creative player, his eye for a pass and excellent technical ability mean he should play in a game where Ireland will need all the possession they can get. That said, O’Neill’s reluctance to play the Norwich man against Georgia means he may ultimately have to be content with a place on the bench again.
11. James McClean: McClean was one of Ireland’s more eye-catching players in the summer internationals, and would undoubtedly provide more dynamism down the wing than Jon Walters, who was preferred in the position against Georgia.
Formation (4-5-1)
Forde
Meyler Wilson O’Shea Ward
McGeady Whelan Quinn McClean
Hoolahan
Long
