The first game of 2024 for the Ireland Women’s National Team sees them take on Italy on Friday, February 23 in Florence.
This will be the first international game to be played in Viola Park since the state-of-the-art training complex – which is the home base for ACF Fiorentina – opened in October 2023.
Adding to their recent injury woes, the team will now be without midfielder Jamie Finn as it's been revealed that she suffered an ACL tear in training this week, while English born Emily Murphy is still awaiting international clearance.
The fixture is part of two International Friendlies – with Ireland hosting Cymru in Tallaght Stadium on Friday, February 27 – leading into the UEFA EURO 2025 Qualifiers, which kick off in April following the Draw on March 5.
Ireland midfielder Jamie Finn suffered an ACL tear in training in preparation for the Italy game, looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
Tough blow for Finn, who’s been the epitome of resilience since missing out on World Cup squad selection. https://t.co/uPUCAPDp5g— Alanna Cunnane (@acunnane10) February 22, 2024
MATCH DETAILS
International Friendly
Italy v Ireland
Friday, February 23
Viola Park, Florence
KO 17:15 (Irish Time)
LIVE on RTÉ NewsNow
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee | Emanuela Rusta (Albania)
Assistant Referee 1 | Erinda Kume (Albania)
Assistant Referee 2 | Koleta Prenga (Albania)
Fourth Official | Deborah Bianchi (Italy)
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
09/09/2006 | Ireland 0-1 Italy | Richmond Park | Friendly
12/03/2007 | Italy 4-1 Ireland | Estadio Dr. Francisco Vieira, Silves | Algarve Cup
30/05/2007 | Ireland 1-2 Italy | Belfield Park | EURO 2009 Qualifier
16/02/2008 | Italy 4-1 Ireland | Stadio Comunale, Villacidro | EURO 2009 Qualifier
04/03/2016 | Ireland 1-1 Italy | Larnaca, Cyprus | Cyprus Cup
09/04/2019 | Italy 2-1 Ireland | Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia | Friendly
NOTES
- There are currently 10 places between Italy (14) and Ireland (24) in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings.
- Katie McCabe scored her first WNT goal in a 1-1 draw with Italy in March 2016. She also scored in the last meeting between the teams in April 2019.
- 2 players are currently on a run of 22 consecutive games stretching back to February 2022 (Courtney Brosnan, Louise Quinn).
- 4 players return to the squad following long absences due to injury (Niamh Fahey – 7 months, Leanne Kiernan – 8 months, Aoife Mannion – 10 months, Jess Ziu – 17 months).
- 4 players switched clubs since the last WNT fixture in December 2023 (Megan Campbell – Everton to London City Lionesses, Jessie Stapleton – West Ham United on loan to Reading, Izzy Atkinson – West Ham United to Crystal Palace, Abbie Larkin – Glasgow City to Crystal Palace).
Locked in 🔒#COYGIG pic.twitter.com/IkXJL2zeV0
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 21, 2024
WNT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Jess Fitzgerald (Peamount United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University)
IRELAND WNT PLAYER STATS
Goalkeepers
Courtney Brosnan | DOB 10/11/1995 | 32 caps / 15 clean sheets | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Grace Moloney | DOB 01/03/1993 | 6 caps / 1 clean sheet | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016
Sophie Whitehouse | DOB 10/10/1996 | 0 caps / 0 clean sheets
Defenders
Caitlin Hayes | DOB 22/09/1995 | 6 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Northern Ireland 23/09/2023
Louise Quinn | DOB 17/06/1990 | 114 caps / 16 goals | Debut vs Poland 02/02/2008
Diane Caldwell | DOB 11/09/1988 | 101 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Denmark 15/03/2006
Jessie Stapleton | DOB 07/02/2005 | 2 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Philippines 19/06/2022
Aoife Mannion | DOB 24/09/1995 | 2 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs China PR 22/02/2023
Niamh Fahey | DOB 13/10/1987 | 111 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Portugal 27/03/2007
Megan Campbell | DOB 28/06/1993 | 47 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Switzerland 24/08/2011
Midfielders
Katie McCabe | DOB 21/09/1995 | 82 caps / 26 goals | Debut vs Hungary 04/03/2015
Megan Connolly | DOB 07/03/1997 | 50 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs USA 23/02/2016
Lucy Quinn | DOB 29/09/1993 | 20 caps / 5 goals | Debut vs Australia 21/09/2021
Lily Agg | DOB 17/12/1993 | 13 caps / 3 goals | Debut vs Philippines 19/06/2022
Jamie Finn | DOB 21/04/1998 | 20 caps / 0 goal | Debut vs Greece 12/11/2019
Ruesha Littlejohn | DOB 03/07/1990 | 77 caps / 6 goals | Debut vs Hungary 07/03/2012
Heather Payne | DOB 26/01/2000 | 42 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Scotland 07/07/2017
Izzy Atkinson | DOB 17/07/2001 | 13 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Portugal 21/01/2018
Jess Ziu | DOB 06/06/2002 | 12 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Northern Ireland 31/08/2018
Erin McLaughlin | DOB 09/03/2003 | 3 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Zambia 22/06/2023
Jess Fitzgerald | DOB 12/07/2006 | 0 caps / 0 goals
Forwards
Kyra Carusa | DOB 14/11/1995 | 21 caps / 7 goals | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Abbie Larkin | DOB 27/04/2005 | 16 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Amber Barrett | DOB 10/01/1996 | 39 caps / 7 goals | Debut vs Northern Ireland 19/09/2017
Leanne Kiernan | DOB 27/04/1999 | 28 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Wales 20/08/2016
Emily Murphy | DOB 02/03/2003 | 0 caps / 0 goals
