Republic of Ireland will look to cement their UEFA Nations League - League B status tomorrow in the second leg of the promotion/relegation play-off at the Aviva Stadium.

Heimir Hallgrímsson's side secured an impressive 2-1 win on Thursday in Plovdiv as goals from Finn Azaz, his first international goal, and Matt Doherty secured a comeback victory in the first leg. 

Ireland will be looking to put on a show in front of the Aviva Stadium crowd in the first home match of the year tomorrow night with kick-off at 7.45pm. 

Match Details

Fixture: Republic of Ireland v Bulgaria
Competition: UEFA Nations League - Promotion/relegation play-off
Date: Sunday, March 23
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Stadium: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
TV: RTE
Tickets: Available here

Match Officials

Referee: Umut Meler (TUR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ibrahim Çaglar Uyarcan (TUR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdullah Özkara (TUR)
Fourth Official: Mehmet Türkmen (TUR)
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Higler (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ingmar Oostrom (NED)

Team News

Ireland Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has reported a clean bill of health for the second leg against Bulgaria as Matt Doherty could win his 50th cap in front of the Aviva Stadium crowd. 

Press Conference | Republic of Ireland Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson 

"The doc came into the coaches room this morning and said everyone was fit and ready to play so that's the first time he has said that.

“I think it's a good sign for us, that everyone wants to be part of this game. You need to be compact and solid. And that is what we did against Bulgaria, we gave them a little bit of the initiative, we dropped a little bit deeper on the pitch but still we did that part really well.

“After looking again after the game, it was not like it affected our chances of winning it, we had some really good opportunities in counter attacks, we should have done better in those, just a different way of playing.

“It’s good to have, you know, work to do on both areas. I thought we did both really well in this game.”

Press Conference | Republic of Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen

“If you can make winning a habit, it’s positive for everyone, it gets a positive feeling around the camp for sure when you are winning games and it breeds confidence.

“It was a tough break after the England game, going away and having to wait for a long time to put it right.

“But I think we did that the other night and now we are looking to get another result tomorrow and push forward and keep that winning confidence going.”

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE

Match Facts - Republic of Ireland v Bulgaria

● Republic of Ireland have never lost a home match against Bulgaria in five previous encounters (W2 D3), with the most recent game ending goalless in November 2020.

● Bulgaria have failed to win any of their last six games against Republic of Ireland (D4 L2), netting just four goals in that time and never more than one in the same match.

● Republic of Ireland won their last home game, beating Finland 1-0 in November. Eire are looking to win consecutive home games for the first time since September 2022.

● Bulgaria won 1-0 in their last away UEFA Nations League game against Luxembourg in November. They haven’t won consecutive competitive away internationals since victories against Luxembourg in October 2006 and Belarus in June 2007 in UEFA European Championship qualifiers.

● Seven of Republic of Ireland’s last 10 international goals have come via headers, including each of their last three in succession, and both in the first leg of this UEFA Nations League tie in Bulgaria on Thursday.

● Bulgaria have failed to score in 58% of their away UEFA Nations League games (7/12), scoring just six goals in total across their 12 competition matches on their travels.

● If he features in this match, Matt Doherty will make his 50th appearance for Republic of Ireland, becoming the first player to reach that milestone for his nation since Shane Duffy vs Portugal in November 2021.

● 19-year-old Rocco Vata made his first appearance for Republic of Ireland last time out against Bulgaria, and could become just the third teenager to score for them in the 21st Century, following Evan Ferguson (three goals in 2023) and Troy Parrott (two goals in 2021).

Republic of Ireland Squad - UEFA Nations League

Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Middlesbrough, on loan from AFC Bournemouth), Gavin Bazunu (Standard Liége, on loan from Southampton).

Defenders: Jake O'Brien (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Jimmy Dunne (Queens Park Rangers), James Abankwah (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Ryan Manning (Southampton). 

Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Andrew Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion).

Attackers: Evan Ferguson (West Ham United, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Sinclair Armstrong (Bristol City), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion), Rocco Vata (Watford).

Result/Fixture - UEFA Nations League 

20/03 - Bulgaria 1-2 Ireland, Hristo Botev Stadium, Plovdiv
23/03 - Ireland v Bulgaria, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 7.45pm