Soccer:The Republic of Ireland will meet Wales in the opening game of the Nations Cup early next year. The four-team competition, which will be staged entirely at the Aviva Stadium, will start in February with Northern Ireland and Scotland also taking part.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s side open proceedings against the Welsh on Tuesday, February 9th with Northern Ireland and Scotland clashing a day later.
There is then a three-month break before the tournament resumes in May, with Ireland’s first clash with Northern Ireland since 1999 getting things back underway.
Trapattoni said: “The Carling Nations Cup is a tournament that we would very much like to win, particularly playing at home in Dublin. The matches will provide us with a good opportunity to see our players in games with a real competitive edge at an important time in our bid to qualify for 2012.”
Northern Ireland boss Nigel Worthington is another relishing the tournament. He said: “I am really looking forward to the Carling Nations Cup, as competitive games against our neighbouring countries don’t come around too often.
“There are bragging rights at stake here, not only for the fans but also for the players as no-one will want to lose against their closest rivals. Northern Ireland are more than capable of winning this tournament and we hope to get off to a good start against Scotland in February.”
Scotland boss Craig Levein added: “Now that the schedule has been announced we are really looking forward to our visit to Dublin next year. This exciting new competition brings together four groups of passionate fans and also allows me to test my squad, in a competitive environment, in the middle of our Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.”
Nations Cup fixtures
February 8th
Republic of Ireland v Wales
February 9th
Northern Ireland v Scotland
May 23rd
Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland
May 24th
Wales v Scotland
May 26th
Wales v Northern Ireland
May 27th
Republic of Ireland v Scotland