The European Championship qualifying run is coming to a close, with the end of the group stage fast approaching. One of the most entertaining groups so far in this qualifying cycle has been Group D, with Germany holding court as expected. However, the Republic of Ireland is showing much more quality and fight than we had expected -- and sitting in a position to not just make Euro 2016 in France next summer, but give Germany another headache.
Ireland vs. Germany live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Euro 2016 qualifying
Will Irish eyes be smiling in Euro 2016 qualifying, or will Germany keep on rolling through Group D?
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You see, it’s been not quite one year since Ireland went into the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and shocked the world by going toe-to-toe with the World Cup champions. They came out of the match with a hard-fought draw earned with a last-second goal. That moment announced Ireland as a serious contender in this group -- but it also kicked off a long spell of dominance for Germany.
Now Ireland are fighting on their own shores instead of on German soil, and they’re spoiling for another upset. A win today could take them out of third place and into a winner-take-all match against Poland on Sunday to win the group, and put Ireland in a strong place in the Euro draw. However, the more likely scenario is, of course, a German win and Ireland fighting to secure third place against a potential challenge from Scotland. You know the crowd in Dublin is going to be loud and rowdy, though, and when you get into that kind of atmosphere, anything and everything can happen.
Key player -- Thomas Müller (Germany)
Müller is a player who creates something of a unique problem for Ireland. It’s never easy to mark or contain or defend the Bayern star, but Ireland especially just don’t really seem to have a player who can be an “answer” for Müller and what he brings to a match. Unless the Green Army can figure out some way, any way, to slow Müller down, the German national team could be set to avenge that shocking draw from last year -- avenge it and then some. You know that that match has been sticking in Germany’s craw for awhile now, and Müller and company will be eager to lay a pasting on Ireland in response.
Key matchup -- James McCarthy (Republic of Ireland) vs. Toni Kroos (Germany)
Ireland are going to need to get a sterling performance from their midfield in this match, and that’s going to start with McCarthy. The Everton midfielder has been having a solid season in the Premier League, but he perhaps hasn’t reached the same level of quality that he has in the past. He needs to step things up a notch in this match because Germany have possibly the best midfield in international football, especially with talents like Kroos to bring to bear.
The box-to-box quality McCarthy can offer is exactly what Ireland need to try to hold Germany at bay. Kroos, though, is a really smart player who can and will exploit any shakiness or weakness in McCarthy’s game. This is going to be a really, really fascinating matchup to watch through the game.
Match Date/Time: Thurs., 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
TV: ESPN (US), RTL Television (Germany), RTE 2, Sky Sports 1/HD (Ireland), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: ESPN3, WatchESPN (US), Sky Go (Ireland & U.K.),
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