Match Preview: Ireland V Denmark

The Republic of Ireland ladies team begins preparations for a new qualification campaign as Vera Paws side now shift their focus to qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 which will take place in Australia.

In what was a bitterly disappointing end to 2020 when a shock loss to Ukraine dashed all hopes for qualification for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, the World Cup will now be the hope as to when Ireland can grace the stage of a major competition for the first time.

Since her appointment on the 4th September 2019, Pauw has only taken charge of competitive fixtures and tonight she will undertake her first friendly as coach of the women’s national team. The Dutch national has been busy since her return to Ireland ahead of this friendly. She took in two Women’s National League fixtures with a viewpoint of assessing the current talent pool within the national game.

In its 10th year, the league has grown from strength to strength and Pauw knows that having a plethora of talent in the national ranks is just as important as those to ply their trade outside of the country.

Going into the fixture which will also see the side taking on Belgium in a series of back to back friendlies there are no injury concerns and all players have a clean bill of health.

And in what has become the new norm in modern football all of the players & staff-tested negative for COVID-19. The entire staff underwent two series of tests before coming into the training camp, along with a test taken on Monday, April 5th and again on Wednesday, April 7th.

In what is akin to their male counterparts Denmark is a side that Ireland has faced and suffered defeat to. Denmark defeated Ireland 4-0 the last time the sides met in the Algarve Cup back in 2006. A lot has happened since then this side is very different to that that faced their Danish counterparts back then.

Vera Pauw knows what to expect from this side that has players on the books at Paris Saint-Germain, Everton and Juventus to name but three.

“Denmark are a fantastic opponent for us to play in this international friendly game. They are ranked 14th in the world, possess some excellent players, and are very much a team that will test us. We need this type of work-out to help us going into the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers later in the year.

Pauw knows this is the type of players that Denmark has in their squad will be a stellar test for her players but not only that, what to be expected if they are to aim to qualify for the World Cup.

“They are a very dynamic team. Their teamwork is highly developed, they have got a few exceptional players, like Pernille Harder and Nadia Nadim, and they push their team to a very high level.

This will have an interesting dynamic to the occasion as Pauw can use it to see exactly where her squad’s development is but more importantly how her players fare against a very strong side.

“For us, this is another game to test ourselves against a top-quality opponent. It will actually be my first friendly game since coming in with Ireland and we hope to take a closer look at all our players in this game and next Sunday’s game away to Belgium.”

While Pauw will use this game to maybe test systems and formations it will be expected that Reading’s Grace Maloney’s will start in goals following her very impressive form at her club this season. She made her debut against Germany and won plaudits despite Irelands side.

Wexford Youth’s Ellen Molloy is a player that Pauw and Ireland have high hopes for. Despite being only sixteen Molloy was named the WNL Young Player of the Season and was named in the Team of the Season. Amber Barrett is another player who has been a revelation since her move to Germany with FC Koln and she will be hoping that form continues if she takes to the field tomorrow night.