Midfielder Owen Garvan will be the first of the four Town players away on international duty to get into action this evening when the Republic of Ireland U21s take on Georgia in a European Championships qualifier in Dublin. Garvan will skipper the side and win his 12th U21 cap.
Yesterday, the Town midfielder, along with U21 team-mates Keith Treacy and Cillian Sheridan, took a look around Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium, which is due to open in April 2010.
Garvan says his side should be able to beat the Georgians and the Swiss, who they face on Tuesday: "We feel like we have played well in our opening two matches but we are still chasing our first win.
"Georgia and Switzerland are both going to be tough opponents, but if we play to our potential there is no reason why we can’t beat them. We have a very good squad, we’re strong all over the pitch, we just want to go out and show what we are capable of.”
On Saturday, Carlos Edwards and Tamás Priskin could add to their haul of international caps. Priskin’s Hungarians, who have a slim chance of qualification for the World Cup, face Portugal on Saturday and then Denmark on Wednesday. The striker has previously won 21 caps, scoring eight goals.
Edwards’s Trinidad and Tobago have no chance of qualification and complete their fixtures with games against Costa Rica on Saturday and Mexico on Wednesday. The midfielder has previously won 76 full international caps and has scored four goals.
Gareth McAuley’s Northern Ireland side are without a game over the weekend but face a World Cup qualifier in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, a game they have to win to stand any chance of reaching South Africa. The central defender has previously won 19 caps and has scored one international goal.
England’s game in Ukraine is not being shown on live TV but is available online for free on Bet365, full details on their site, or for £9.99 (rising to £11.99 on matchday) here.