Looking beyond a trip to glamorous Plovdiv that awaits over 1,000 Ireland Fans in less than ten days’ time, it will be only seventy days until the customary end-of-season June window.
A combination of the Nations League Finals in early June and World Cup qualifiers have left Ireland without any opponents as of late, and a four team group certainly does not help Heimir and Co. either, as qualifiers are not set to take place until early September.
However, a number of competitive teams (sorry, Gibraltar and Andorra) are without an opponent for the June International Window: so without further adieu here are the top five that would be perfect for the Boys in Green.
- Montenegro 🇲🇪
While an away day in Podgorica sounds about as nice as a weekend getaway to Scunthorpe, having only become an independent nation in 2006, Montenegro boasts a team of surprisingly decent players for a nation of 600,000. Coming off the back of a 3-1 win over Turkey in November, the team is made up of players ranging from the Serie-A and B to the Austrian Bundesliga and the lower tiers of German football.
With additional players regularly playing European football with the likes of FCSB in Romania to Qarabağ FK in Azerbaijan, the team would make for a competitive game, whether it be at the Aviva or in Podgorica. Most importantly, it would give the team a much needed opportunity for an away game in a not-so-friendly environment. A game between the two nations would mark the third time the two nations would have met.
14 October 2009; Damien Duff, Republic of Ireland, in action against Milan Jovanovic, Montenegro. 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, Republic of Ireland v Montenegro, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
- Northern Ireland 🇬🇧
While the days of Billy Bingham’s men are [thankfully] long gone, Michael O’Neill has made the Green and White army into a competitive force once again. Having beaten Ireland’s soon-to-be opponents Bulgaria 5-0 back in October, and led by Liverpool Right-back Conor Bradley, the team would be a decent shout for a competitive yet low-stakes end of season friendly.
Regardless of if the game were to be held in Dublin or Belfast, it would make for a convenient “away-day” for both sets of fans, and (for obvious reasons) would certainly make for an interesting game.
5 November 2018; Michael Smith of Northern Ireland in action against James McClean of Republic of Ireland during the International Friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Fittingly nicknamed “El Tri”, short for “Tricolour”, Ireland’s last meeting with Mexico was certainly one to forget. Should the two sides meet in June, it will have been over eight years ago that Martin O’Neill’s heavily rotated side lost out 3-1 to the current Gold-Cup holders.
With the Mexicans already set to play against Switzerland and Turkey, a third warm-up game may be off the cards – but they are several other nations that are in dire need of a country to play in preparation for this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. Among these are El Salvador and Canada – but there is a high probability that either match would be played in the States.
1 June 2017; Daryl Murphy of Republic of Ireland in action against Hector Moreno of Mexico during the International Friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Mexico at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA. Photo by David Maher/Sportsfile
- Moldova 🇲🇩
Oddly known for being one of the world’s largest exporters of walnuts, Moldova is certainly an option on the table for the June Window.
Having lost to Malta and drawn 1-1 with Gibraltar, the team has certainly struggled as of late, with their only two semi-decent players being their strikers: playing for FC Cluj of Romania and Heerenveen FC of the Netherlands, respectively.
With no disrespect meant towards the mighty nation of Moldova, it would certainly be an ample opportunity to cap any “fringe” players or those with dual nationality, such as Anselmo Garcia MacNulty and John Joe Patrick Finn (should they not be capped in March).
6 October 2017; Wes Hoolahan of Republic of Ireland in action against Gheorghe Anton of Moldova during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group D match between Republic of Ireland and Moldova at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
- Sweden 🇸🇪
Arguably the toughest of all opponents on this list, Sweden’s “golden” generation have been blossoming as of late. With Alexander Isak tearing up the Premier League with Newcastle, to Viktor Gyökeres having the time of his life with Sporting, the team looks to be returning back to where it was circa 1994 – when, with the likes of Celtic legend Henrik Larsson, they were able to reach the Semi-finals of the tournament.
Coming off the back of an undefeated run in the Nation’s League, the team will also be looking for a competitive opponent to take on after a friendly away to Hungary on the 6th of June.
1 March 2006; Kevin Kilbane, Republic of Ireland, in action against Christoffer Andersson, Sweden. International Friendly, Republic of Ireland v Sweden, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE
To end
While a competitive game against a high-calibre opponent would be much more worthwhile for the team than some of our recent opponents in recent friendlies (Lithuania, Andorra, New Zealand), a game against any of these opponents would make for an entertaining watch – and most importantly give any “fringe” players a chance to impress prior to our World Cup qualifying campaign beginning in September.