Ireland:European qualifiers Repulic of Ireland face Georgia in opening Group D clash

European qualifiers: Repulic of Ireland face Georgia in opening Group D clash

Last Updated: 06/09/14 2:29pm

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Martin O'Neill: Anticipating 'hot' clash in Georgia

Republic of Ireland begin their European qualifying campaign with a trip to Georgia in Sunday’s Group D clash.

Georgia will be seen as one of the easier teams in the group, with the Green Army also scheduled to face Germany, Poland, Scotland and new-boys Gibraltar.

The Georgian capital Tbilisi is expected to reach blistering temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius this weekend, and the Ireland manager Martin O’Neill admits his side are wary of the heat ahead of the game at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena.

"I've never been to Georgia, but obviously the experiences of before with people I'm listening to, they say it can still remain pretty hot in the evening time,” the Ireland boss said.

"All of those things will bear some consideration when we come to Sunday."

Roy Keane: Nothing to fear in Georgia

O’Neill’s ended a six-game winless streak with a 2-0 friendly win over Oman on Wednesday, while Georgia succumbed to a 1-0 midweek defeat at the hands of the United Arab Emirates.

The Eastern European side, managed by former Newcastle United striker Temuri Ketsbaia, have failed to qualify for any major tournament since the national team’s formation in 1990.

The last time the sides met was during a friendly in June 2013, with Ireland thrashing Georgia 4-0 thanks to a Robbie Keane brace.

Team news

Winger James McClean has been ruled out of the clash in Tbilisi having failed to recover from an ankle problem that has sidelined him for the start of the season.

Everton midfielder James McCarthy was doubtful with blistered feet, but O’Neill is expecting the 23-year-old to make a full recovery.

Following the injury to goalkeeper Kieran Westwood, veteran stopper Shay Given could make his 127th appearance in goal for Ireland – two years after calling time on his international career.

"I don't know what's happening on Sunday, of course, but as I said at the start, whoever plays, then we are all fully behind them,” Given said.

Shay Given: Last played for Republic of Ireland at Euro 2012

"All that matters is we get a good result on Sunday. That's the most important thing."

For Georgia, Ketsbaia has a full-strength team to choose from and he could hand a debut to defender Giorgi Rekhviashvili.

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