Celtic defender Liam Scales has been named in the Republic of Ireland team for a daunting away test against the Netherlands on Saturday night.
Scales has earned a spot in Stephen Kenny’s starting eleven for the third consecutive Ireland match, a sign of his increasing reputation and excellent form for Celtic over the last few months.
Celtic winger Mikey Johnston could also feature but has only been named on the bench.
The Irish have already been eliminated from the Euro 2024 qualifying process, but this is an important night for them to salvage some pride and continue building for the future. That’s as true for Scales as anyone else in the Ireland team.
The Celtic defender is relishing his inclusion for club and country at the moment. Every performance is a chance for him to prove himself and further earn the trust of coaching staff, teammates and supporters.
The home side will certainly provide a stern test for the Irish backline, which also features Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has named a front three of Wout Weghorst, Xavi Simons and Cody Gakpo, who signed for Liverpool for a reported £35m fee last season. [The Guardian]
They will be motivated, too. A win tonight will guarantee their berth at next year’s tournament in Germany, which several Celtic stars have already qualified for.
The odds are stacked against Scales and his teammates but it’ll be an interesting watch nonetheless. We need to see how the Celtic defender continues to handle himself on these occasions.
Despite his recent form, Scales still needs to show he can be a long-term pick for club and country, especially with talk of contract extensions coming to the fore in recent days.
Tonight’s match is being broadcast live on Viaplay Sports 1 in the UK and on RTE 2 in Ireland. It kicks off at 7:45pm.
In other news, What Brendan Rodgers told Kyogo to break through big Celtic barrier.
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