As European Championship qualifiers get back underway, Scotland are playing host to the Republic of Ireland in a regional rivalry we simply don't get to see enough of. The two sides have played just nine times since 1961, with the last match coming in May of 2011. Considering that this is almost always a testy and entertaining matchup no matter the quality of the two sides, the two associations should really figure out how to face each other more often.
Scotland vs. Ireland live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Euro 2016 qualifying online
The Republic of Ireland head to Glasgow to take on Scotland as both sides try to improve their chances of qualifying for the European Championships in 2016.
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In the meantime, there's Euro 2016 qualification on the line. After three matches, Martin O'Neill's Ireland side are tied with Poland atop the group at seven points, while Gordan Strachan has Scotland in fourth, tied with Germany on four points but sitting a spot behind thanks to losing to the defending World Cup champions in September. Ireland are pushing hard to make the European Championships for the second straight tournament, while the Scots want to make it in for the first time in 20 years. Both teams can make a statement and a big push towards their goals with a win in this match, and between that and the regional pride at stake, this is sure to be an entertaining day.
Key player - Robbie Keane (Ireland)
Any match involving Ireland is predicated on how Keane performs. The 34 year old Los Angeles Galaxy striker is still capable of transforming a match despite his advancing years, and if he’s on his game and getting decent service, he can almost single-handedly keep Ireland in a lot of matches they might otherwise be in. If his mind is more on LA’s upcoming MLS playoff matches, though, it’s going to be a lot harder for Ireland to get the job done.
As an interesting statistical sidenote, Keane has more than double the number of international goals under his belt (65) than the entire Scotland squad available for this match has combined (29). Admittedly, Scotland haven’t been that great at scoring goals in the last few years, but that’s still a stunning number to see.
Euro Qualifying
Key Question - Are Ireland for real?
It's early in the qualification process, but Ireland have looked good. Very good. OK, maybe beating Gibraltar 7-0 at home isn't that impressive, but beating Georgia away is a fine result, and holding Germany to a 1-1 draw in Germany is a fantastic statement from the Irish.
While they don’t have the talent and firepower to hang with the big boys of international football on a regular basis, if they can keep up this form they could be able to knock off Poland for the all-important second place in the group. It’s a long qualification process, though, making that a big “if”. A resounding win against Scotland could go a long way towards quelling Irish nerves on the matter.
Match Date/Time: Friday, 7:45 P.M. local, 2:45 P.M. ET
Venue: Celtic Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland
TV: Sky Sports 5/HD (U.K./Ireland)
Online: ESPN3 (U.S.), Sky GO (U.K./Ireland)
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