Ireland Under-21s will look to bounce back from defeat against Scotland when they take on Hungary in Pinatar in Spain this evening.

The young Boys in Green went down 2-0 to the Scottish side but will face a Hungarian team who finished level on points in the same group as Scotland last term.

Jim Crawford is expected to have all players available after St. Patrick’s Athletic’s Mason Melia missed Friday’s friendly as a pre-caution.

Match Details

Hungary U21 v Ireland U21
International Friendly
Monday, March 24
Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain
Kick-Off 8pm (local time) / 7pm (Irish time)

Match Coverage

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Quotes

Ireland Under-21 Head Coach Jim Crawford said:  “Scotland was a good game for us. I never felt it was a 2-0 result and we had large portions of possession in the game. It’s unfortunate we missed the penalty as that could have changed the contest in the last few minutes, but I have a lot more positives than negatives from the match.

“There were a few players who came on and did well and now it’s a chance to see them from the start against Hungary. They impressed and we were delighted, we’ve a really good group, but there’s still a long way to go with this group.

“The message for Hungary will be much of the same as going in to Scotland, we’ll target a couple of areas against Hungary and we’ll see can we take on the information, and I’ve no doubt the group will. Scotland played a back five and we had them pinned and it’s a about breaking down that line and can we get through it and get around it to get crosses in. So it’s another challenge to play against a back five and let’s see if we can create more chances against them.”

Ireland Under-21 forward Jad Hakiki: "There are a lot of positive to take from the game against Scotland and that was the message from the manager and the staff and we do feel we can build from that.

“There are a lot of young players in the squad, new players too, and it’s about us building those connections. It does feel like in the next game if we take our chances and use the positives from the Scotland game we give ourselves a big chance to beat Hungary.”

Ticket details
Entry to the game is free.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 Squad 

Goalkeepers: Noah Jauny (Stade Brestois), Aaron Maguire (Tottenham Hotspur), Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers)

Defenders: Connor Barratt (Barnsley), Sean Grehan (Bohemians, on loan from Crystal Palace), Conor McManus (Brentford), Alex Murphy (Bolton Wanderers, on loan from Newcastle United), Connor O’Brien (Accrington Stanley), David Okagbue (Walsall), Gabriel Otegbayo (Sheffield Wednesday), Jacob Slater (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Midfielders: Darius Lipsiuc (Walsall, on loan from Stoke City), Ronan Maher (Tamworth, on loan from Walsall), Jack Moorhouse (Manchester United), Jamie Mullins (Brighton & Hove Albion), Adam Murphy (Bristol City), Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh (Accrington Stanley, on loan from Southampton)

Forwards: Joe Gardner (Lincoln City, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Jad Hakiki (Sligo Rovers), Mason Melia (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Mark O’Mahony (Portsmouth, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Franco Umeh (Crystal Palace), Harry Vaughan (Hull City)