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Republic of Ireland braced for testing Nations League

Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad is preparing for an intense stretch of competitive fixtures, beginning with an away match in Pristina. The team faces a demanding schedule of four games across twelve days against Kosovo, Austria, and Israel twice, following a recent period of experimentation that included friendly victories over Qatar and Grenada alongside draws with Canada and North Macedonia.

The upcoming fixtures mark the competitive return for the side since their penalty shootout elimination by the Czech Republic in Prague during World Cup qualification. The roster selection has been affected by several fitness issues and injuries, leaving the manager without captain Nathan Collins due to a calf problem, alongside other notable absentees such as Josh Cullen, Evan Ferguson, Jack Taylor, and Oisin McEntee.

Meanwhile, uncapped defenders Liam Kitching and Joel Bagan have earned call-ups alongside Owen Elding, while several other squad members manage ongoing fitness concerns or picked up injuries during weekend club preparations. In contrast to these selection hurdles, forward Troy Parrott arrives in strong form after recently scoring decisive goals for Real Betis against and in the Champions League against .