Republic of Ireland vs Qatar prediction, preview, team news and more | International friendlies 2021
Ireland host Qatar in a friendly international at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Tuesday.
The Boys in Green are coming off the back of their first World Cup qualifying victory, having beaten Azerbaijan 3-0 away. But it wasn't enough to keep them in the race as other results knocked them out.
Stephen Kenny's side still have two games against Portugal and Luxembourg to come next month, and will be hoping to close out their campaign on a high.
But for now, their attention turns towards a clash with next year's hosts, who'll be participating in the showpiece for the first time.
The Maroons, who are the reigning Asian champions, were beaten 3-0 by Portugal in their last game, extending their winless run to five games.
Ireland vs Qatar Head-To-Head
The only previous meeting between the sides came back in 2015 in another international friendly which ended in a 1-1 draw.
FT: Azerbaijan 0-3 Ireland
A clean sheet and three goals away from home give Stephen Kenny his first competitive win as Ireland manager in Baku ☘️ https://t.co/5PjuPFI9oi
Ireland Form Guide (all competitions): D-L-D-D-W
Qatar Form Guide (all competitions): L-L-L-D-L
Ireland vs Qatar Team News
Ireland
The Boys in Green were at full strength for the Azerbaijan game and, with no fresh injuries reported, Stephen Kenny should once again have a fully-fit squad.
But given it's an inconsequential friendly, the coach is likely to ring in the changes.
That could see some of the benched players from last week such as Enda Stevens, Conor Hourihane, Mark Travers, Trot Parrott and Aaron Connolly come into the starting XI.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
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Qatar
The Maroons, who continue their preparations for the World Cup on home soil, may experiment with their lineup again.
Having played a back-five against Portugal to try and contain the 2016 European champions, manager Felix Sanchez may revert to a three-man defense, allowing him to deploy two strikers.
That could see Akram Afif join young gun Almoez Ali in attack, as both have accounted for 55 goals for Qatar so far.
Youssef Hassan is hoping for a recall in goal.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Ireland vs Qatar Predicted XI
Ireland (3-4-2-1): Mark Travers; Andrew Omobamidele, Shane Duffy, John Egan; Matt Doherty, Chester Arter, Conor Hourihane, Enda Stevens; Aaron Connolly, Jamie McGrath; Trot Parrott.
Qatar (3-5-2): Youssef Hassan; Bassam Al-Rawi, Tarek Salman, Abdelkarim Hassan; Ro-Ro, Hassan Al-Haydos, Karim Boudiaf, Abdulaziz Hatem, Sultan Al-Brake; Akram Afif, Almoez Ali.
Ireland vs Qatar Prediction
As there's little riding on the game, it is difficult to predict an outcome, although a stalemate seems likely.
Despite the changes, Ireland should be able to hold out Qatar, whose recent form doesn't inspire much hope.
Prediction: Ireland 1-0 Qatar