Givens to name Ireland squad for Under-21 qualifier

Ireland fans will get their first glimpse of Euro 2012 qualification opponents Armenia next month when the Young Boys in Green take on the Armenian Under-21s in the Tallaght Stadium on March 3^rd.

The recent draw for the 2012 UEFA European Championships qualification campaign pitted Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland team against Armenia. As young players from both countries look to impress ahead of the new campaign, the meeting of the Under-21 teams on March 3^rd will give Ireland fans the opportunity to have a close look at their opponents.

Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens will announce his squad for the match tomorrow (Wednesday, February 17^th).

The Under-21 side will be looking to avenge a disappointing away loss to Armenia last November. Givens believes the inclusion of key players who were absent the last time around will be the difference in this encounter.

“Our last match was against Armenia and it was a bad result,” said Givens. “When you lose a match like that, you want to get straight back out there and play again to get it out of your system, so it has been difficult to have to wait almost four months. We travelled to Yerevan without seven first team players so I’m hoping we can be a bit more fortunate this time around. The players will be looking forward to playing in Tallaght Stadium again. It’s a fantastic stadium and we got great support last time we played there.”

Daniel "Pitchside" Pitcher Twitter: @DanFM104Sport About: Dan "Pitchside" Pitcher provides insight and commentary as the chief soccer and rugby correspondent for Sportspeak.