Ireland to round off year against Poland

SOCCER NEWS: THE FAI have confirmed the Republic of Ireland senior team will round of their year with a friendly against Poland…

SOCCER NEWS:THE FAI have confirmed the Republic of Ireland senior team will round of their year with a friendly against Poland at Croke Park on November 19th.

The match will be the side's fifth of the autumn after the friendly later this month in Oslo and the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia, Montenegro and Cyprus.

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni welcomed the latest addition to his side's fixture list. "I look forward to it," said the Italian, "it will provide us with a good test before we continue our World Cup qualification campaign in 2009."

The meeting will be the 23rd between the countries and the first since the goalless draw in Bydgoszcz in April 2004. There had been 13 friendly games involving the sides between May 1968 and May 1988.

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Trapattoni is expected to name his squad for the trip to Norway in about 10 days, by which time it may be clear whether Stephen Ireland and Andy O'Brien intend to make themselves available for selection again.

The association, meanwhile, have also given a commitment that ticket prices for international games will be held at current levels until 2012.

Prices were raised significantly when matches were switched to Croke Park, but they are now set to remain unchanged for the first couple of years back at Lansdowne Road.

Remaining fixtures for 2008:Aug 20th: Norway (a); Sept 6th: Georgia (a); Sept 10th: Montenegro (a); Oct 15th: Cyprus (h); Nov 19th: Poland (h).

Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone is Work Correspondent at The Irish Times