England face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in the first match of their new Nations League campaign, and their first under interim manager Lee Carsley. The match marks the first game since the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, in what was Gareth Southgate’s last match in charge.
And Carsley has instantly begun to look to the future, including the uncapped quartet of Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento in his first senior squad.
All four were part of the victorious U21 European Championship squad, and will be hoping to take the first step in their international careers as they look to gel into a side featuring plenty of experience.
Meanwhile, Ireland are also embarking on the start of a new journey, with new manager Heimir Halgrimsson able to select one of the most talented Ireland squads in recent years, including the Premier League’s Evan Ferguson, Sammie Szmodics and Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher.
Follow live updates from England vs Ireland in the Nations League below:
Republic of Ireland vs England LIVE
-
England face Ireland in the Nations League with kick off at 5pm | Live on ITV1
-
Fixture is England’s first game since Gareth Southgate resigned with interim boss Lee Carsley now in charge
-
Carsley has picked four uncapped players in squad – Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento
Carsley’s career so far
13:20 , Chris Wilson
So how has Lee Carsley ended up as England’s interim manager?
The Birmingham-born coach had a 17-year playing career, and most notably featured in the Premier League for Everton and Derby County, having started his career at the latter.
The defensive midfielder made his debut in 1994 for the Rams in what was then called the First Division (now known as the Championship). He became a regular starter at Pride Park, helping his side to promotion to the Premier League in 1995/96.
The most successful spell of his career came between 2002 and 2008 while playing for Everton, with the Toffees finishing as high as fourth and sixth during his time at Goodison.
At international level, Carsley represented the Republic of Ireland, making 40 appearances between 1997 and 2008.
The 50-year-old retired in 2011, with his last club being Coventry City. Having worked on his coaching badges while at Everton, Carsley was made manager of Coventry U18s later in 2011.
His first involvement with England came as a coach for the U19s in 2015, and he went on to become head coach of the U20s in 2020 after holding various youth-level development roles within the FA.
In July 2021, Carsley was appointed as the U21s head coach, winning the European Championship in 2023 after beating Spain 1-0 in the final with a team that included Cole Palmer, Angel Gomes, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Gibbs-White and Levi Colwill.
Harry Kane lifts lid on retirement plans after ‘below par’ Euro 2024 performances
13:10 , Chris Wilson
Harry Kane says he wants to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and play into his late thirties, despite admitting there are “good questions” about the football calendar and the toll on players.
The 31-year-old admitted his performances at Euro 2024 were “below par”, as he discussed the need to adapt to a season that will end with his Bayern Munich team appearing in the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup.
Kane looked physically weighed down in some games this summer, in a tournament where one of the primary themes was how England couldn’t press in the same way. He evidently sees that as a temporary issue rather than something reflective of the modern game’s demands, as he intends to emulate Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal aged 39 on Thursday (5 September).
Harry Kane lifts lid on retirement plans after ‘below par’ Euro 2024 performances
‘Really good guy’ Lee Carsley makes the right impression on Noni Madueke
13:00 , Chris Wilson
Noni Madueke saluted “really good guy” Lee Carsley following his first senior call-up to the England squad.
The Chelsea winger has made a bright start to life under new boss Enzo Maresca and has four goals in four games throughout all competitions, including a hat-trick in a 6-2 Premier League win over Wolves last month.
On the back of those performances, Madueke received his first call-up to the camp at St George’s Park and could made his debut when they travel to the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League on Saturday.
Madueke and Carsley are no strangers to each other and have already shared success together, winning the European Under-21 Championship last summer.
The 22-year-old hailed the new England boss for his characteristics on and off the field.
‘Really good guy’ Lee Carsley makes the right impression on Noni Madueke
Angel Gomes relishing England opportunity after taking roundabout route into Lee Carsley’s squad
12:50 , Chris Wilson
There was long the sense that Sir Alex Ferguson was the managerial godfather. It can be jarring, though, to realise that one of his last title-winning team is the godfather of potentially England’s next international.
Especially as he is sufficiently young that Nani is still playing. The 37-year-old’s godson is Angel Gomes; a winger known for his flicks and tricks has had a peripatetic career since leaving Old Trafford but often checks in on Gomes. “He has been a big influence,” said the Lillemidfielder. “He was someone I used to watch and gave me joy.”
If they have a common denominator on their CVs in Manchester United, there is another team each could have represented. Gomes has played for England at Under 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 level, winning the Under-17 World Cup and the Under-21 European Championship. A trilingual midfielder is qualified to play for Angola, the country of his father’s birth. But Gil Gomes’ international football came for Portugal, in the same Under-21 team as Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Joao Pinto; they won what was then called World Youth Championship.
Angel Gomes relishing England opportunity after taking roundabout route into squad
New England call-up Morgan Gibbs-White ‘buzzing’ for interim boss Lee Carsley
12:43 , Chris Wilson
New call-up Morgan Gibbs-White was buzzing to find out Lee Carsley had been named interim England manager and feels like the role “suits him perfectly”.
Just 14 months after leading an England Under-21s side featuring the Nottingham Forest star to European Championship glory, the 50-year-old is in charge of the senior side for the first time.
“I’ve worked with Cars before, I know how he works,” Gibbs-White said.
“He’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great and I was buzzing when I found out that he got the job because I felt like he really deserved it, and I feel like it suits him perfectly.
“So hopefully the games go well for him, and you never know what the future holds.”
New England call-up Morgan Gibbs-White ‘buzzing’ for interim boss Lee Carsley
Rico Lewis believes Lee Carsley will bring exciting football to England
12:35 , Chris Wilson
Rico Lewis is expecting interim boss Lee Carsley to bring dominant, dynamic and exciting football to England.
It is just under two months since Gareth Southgate called time on his eight-year reign having suffered another narrow defeat in the final of a European Championship.
The Football Association’s search for a permanent successor continues, with England Under-21s boss Carsley parachuted in for the autumn’s Nations League fixtures that start against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
Asked what can be expected from Carsley, Lewis said: “To dominate pretty much every game we play.
“That is the intention, to dominate and control the whole game and with that comes a lot of exciting work. Also, controlling the game when we have not got the ball, as well.
Rico Lewis believes Lee Carsley will bring exciting football to England
Lee Carsley picks four uncapped players in first England squad as interim manager
12:28 , Chris Wilson
Plenty has been written about Lee Carsley this week, so we’ll start with in chronological order, with the squad announcement!
Carsley has picked four uncapped players in his first England squad – Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento. The first three were all integral parts of the former U21 manager’s victory at the U21 European Championship in 2023 – the first time England had won that trophy in 39 years.
All four players could be in line to make their debuts tonight, with Madueke potentially coming onto the wing in the absence of Phil Foden and Angel Gomes an interesting option to partner Declan Rice as a deeper midfielder.
Tino Livramento could well start due to the absence of a traditional left-back in the squad, while Morgan Gibbs-White is a good option in the attacking midfield role in the absence of Palmer and Foden.
Lee Carsley picks four uncapped players in first England squad as interim manager
Who are the favourites?
12:20 , Chris Wilson
Unsurprisingly, Spain enter this year’s proceedings as heavy favourites to defend their crown. They’ve reached two out of three finals so far and beat Croatia on penalties to secure their first Nations League trophy last year.
It’s fair to say Luis de la Fuente’s side have improved massively since then. Spain were scintillating en route to winning Euro 2024, with the emergence of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams forcing teams to clam up in fear of being ripped apart on the wings.
France may well be the team that can push Spain the furthest. We never truly saw the best of Les Bleus at Euro 2024, with Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose hidden behind a mask amounting to lasting image of their tournament. France showed some excellent defensive qualities in Germany as William Saliba and Jules Kounde stepped up, even if they remained blunt in attack.
Julian Nagelsmann may well feel like the Germans missed out on a wonderful opportunity during their own tournament. He now oversees a new era without Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer, four stalwarts of the nation’s success across many years.
This year’s Nations League feels like it will come too soon to push for the title, with Germany more likely to sit with Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands as League A challengers who sit slightly on the outside.
When will the fixtures take place?
12:10 , Chris Wilson
The extra knockout stage will only impact a small number of nations, with much of the schedule playing out how we’ve seen before.
-
Matchday 1: 5-7 September 2024
-
Matchday 2: 8-10 September 2024
-
Matchday 3: 10-12 October 2024
-
Matchday 4: 13-15 October 2024
-
Matchday 5: 14-16 November 2024
-
Matchday 6: 17-19 November 2024
-
Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024
-
Knockout round play-offs: 20-25 March 2025
-
League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025
-
Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025
What’s new for the 2024/25 Nations League?
12:00 , Mike Jones
Each team will continue to play the others in their group home and away, but qualification for the finals is now slightly different. A new knockout round has been added for March 2025 in a bid to create a greater sense of continuity between the end of the group and the start of the knockouts.
The gap between both stages–which has previously been from November to June–was deemed too long and not a great way to build hype for a competition that already has plenty of doubters.
Here’s how the new system will work:
The League A winners and second-placed teams will enter home and away quarter-finals against each other. Victorious teams will take up the four spots in the finals, while fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B will be relegated. Those battling in League C have to work a little harder for safety with the two bottom-placed sides plummeting to League D.
On the flipside, all four winners from Leagues B and C will be automatically promoted, with the two League D winners also moving up. Further promotions will be decided via two-legged play-offs, between the third-ranked teams in League A and runners-up in League B, as well as the third-ranked teams in League B and runners-up in League C.
Confused yet? There’s more.
The two best ranked fourth-place teams in League C will meet the two runners-up from League D to decide who enters the next competition in the higher division.
The Nations League returns
11:53 , Mike Jones
The Nations League is back in full force and we’ll break down all the changes, groups and everything you need to know about the competition throughout the afternoon.
This season’s group draw threw up some interesting fixtures when it was made back in February. Four leagues were created based on each nation’s results in the last Nations League, with four pots then being established within each league based on the same criteria.
One team from each pot was then drawn into each group within their league to get the final draw. Here’s how the groups look with teams from the Home Nations in bold:
League A
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland
Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia
League B
Group B1: Czechia, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia
Group B2: England, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Greece
Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan
Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkiye
League C
Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia
Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania*
Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus
Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia
League D
Group D1: Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein
Group D2: Moldova, Malta, Andorra
Brawls, boos and ‘plastic Paddys’: how the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined
11:47 , Mike Jones
For some around the Irish squad, it’s still strange to be preparing for a match against Lee Carsley’s England. Ireland made a strong push for the admired coach, since he has 40 caps for the country. A solid Ireland midfielder is now the most important figure in English football culture, and will have a tricolour by his name if he takes England to the World Cup.
Carsley was born in Birmingham but qualified for Ireland through his Cork grandmother, and spoke last week of naturally feeling both nationalities. The same applies to many for Saturday’s game in Dublin, most notably Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who make up at least nine England regulars over the last half-decade that could have also represented Ireland. It is almost an inevitable inversion of the fixture’s history, when it was Ireland that most benefited from the country’s diaspora to Britain.
How the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined
Ireland vs England prediction
11:40 , Mike Jones
Despite being away from home, England should have more than enough firepower to beat an inferior Ireland team, though the timing and importance of the match means the result likely won’t be emphatic.
Republic of Ireland 0-3 England.
Ireland vs England predicted line-ups and latest odds
11:33 , Mike Jones
Predicted line-ups
Republic of Ireland XI: Kelleher; O’Shea, Collins, Scales; Coleman, Smallbone, Brown, Brady; Parrott, Ferguson, Szmodics.
England XI: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Stones, Livramento; Rice, Mainoo; Grealish, Eze, Saka; Kane.
Latest Odds
Republic of Ireland 5/1
Draw 23/10
England 2/5
The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
Republic of Ireland early team news
11:26 , Mike Jones
Ireland manager Halgrimsson has named the first squad of his tenure too, and it includes a call-up for Leicester winger Kasey McAteer.
Burnley’s Josh Cullen has pulled out through injury, while Gavin Bazunu also misses out with a longer-term Achilles injury.
Seamus Coleman and Evan Ferguson are both named in the squad, while Championship pair Callum Robinson and Alan Browne return after recent injuries.
In addition, Jayson Molumby has received his first call-up since November 2023 after a foot injury, and Chiedozie Ogbene and Nathan Collins, who were both ruled out of summer matches through injury, also return to the squad. New Ipswich signings Sammie Szmodics is also called up.
England early team news
11:20 , Mike Jones
Lee Carsley named an England squad with a very different makeup to that which fans had become used to under Southgate, with Tino Livramento, Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke four uncapped players that he has called up.
Players including Kyle Walker and Marcus Rashford have missed out, though there is a return to the squad for Jack Grealish, and Nick Pope replaces Aaron Ramsdale.
Aside from those changes, the rest of the squad – including Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Ebere Eze and others – were all present in Germany for Euro 2024.
However, Kieran Tripper recently announced his retirement from international football, while Jude Bellingham is injured along with Luke Shaw. In addition, Ollie Watkins, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all withdrew from the squad due to illness and injury.
How can I watch it?
11:13 , Mike Jones
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 4pm. Subscribers will also be able to watch via ITV X online and on the app.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is Republic of Ireland vs England?
11:06 , Mike Jones
Republic of Ireland vs England kicks off at 5pm BST on Saturday 7 September at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
England face Ireland in the Nations League
11:00 , Mike Jones
A new-look England squad start the post-Gareth Southgate era with a trip to Dublin to face the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League on Saturday.
Lee Carsley’s youthful squad look to immediately recover from an agonising 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, with the former U21 manger calling upon a few of his best-known players for the first time.
Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White were all instrumental in England U21 European Championship win under Carsley, and all four will get the chance to earn their first England caps in Dublin as the former Ireland international looks to blend youth with England’s vast experience.
And the Three Lions face a Republic of Ireland side who are beginning a new era of their own, with Heimir Halgrimsson having taken over in July – he’ll be looking for a famous win to mark his tenure with the perfect start.
Good morning!
10:09 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Nations League action as Lee Carsley takes charge of his first match as England’s interim boss.
It’s something of a homecoming for the new manager who leads the Three Lions against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, the nation Carsley appeared for during his playing career.
This match is also the first game England are playing since the exit of Gareth Southgate and Carsley has selected four uncapped players in the squad.
We’ll have all the latest team news, updates and more throughout the day so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 5pm.
