Republic of Ireland v France: Euro 2024 qualifying – live

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12 min: Mbappe crosses from the left. Egan does well to head clear under pressure from Giroud. France are beginning to show in attack now. It didn’t take them long to warm up.

11 min: Cullen comes sliding cynically into the back of an in-flight Kolo Muani, who was preparing to make good ground down the right. The referee opts for the last-chance-saloon lecture rather than the booking. Cullen can count himself extremely lucky there.

9 min: I should have kept quiet about that. Camavinga’s long pass drops to Kolo Muani on the edge of the Irish area. He attempts to round Bazunu on the left, and nearly manages it, but is pushed too wide and attempts to set up Giroud with a cute backheel. Ireland swarm, block and clear. So close to the opener.

7 min: This is an impressively confident start by Ireland. France were about to go two up at this point against the Netherlands, but have done nothing so far tonight.

5 min: Ferguson makes his presence felt down the inside-left channel and nearly releases Ogbene on the overlap with a reverse flick. Not quite. Then he sends Ogbene into space down the right. Hernandez does just enough to stop his opponent bursting into the box. Ferguson is a player who things happen around. He’s 18!

3 min: Coleman, hugging the right touchline, tries to release Ferguson down the middle with a diagonal raker. There’s too much juice on the ball and Upamecano is able to shepherd it back to Maignan in the France goal.

2 min: France spend the first 60-odd seconds stroking the ball around. Plenty of pantomime booing. That switches to cheers when Ogbene strips Mbappe of possession in the midfield and wins a free kick. The home fans are up for this all right.

France get the ball rolling. They’re playing in white shirts; only the tracksuit tops and shorts are blue today.

The teams are out! Expectation crackles around Lansdowne Road as the players take to the field, Seamus Coleman leading out his men in green, Kylian Mbappé at the head of a long blue line, Antoine Griezmann adding a punkish dash of pink. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.

Pre-match mailbag. “To paraphrase Shrewsbury Town super fan Derek Smalls, when you have fire and ice what you end up with is lukewarm water. I’m not sure it will be enough to stop Mbappe” – Artie Fufkin Niall Mullen

“A lot of Ireland supporters are decidedly pro-Kenny or anti-Kenny, but I’m still undecided. There is something unusual about his expansive, adventurous style of football - namely that, for whatever reason, it seems to work best against the better teams, like Portugal away (when Ronaldo punished us with two late goals, but we were otherwise superb), but we can struggle badly against the weaker teams (see Luxembourg at home - shudder). Here’s hoping we give France a game. If - and it’s a colossal if - we’re still in the game on the hour mark, expect to see a huge roar when James McClean comes on and gets his customary booking within 60 seconds” – Sean Dowling

“I imagine a lot of people are predicting a walkover for France tonight. Even when they are are having problems against Ireland, they generally find a way through. You have to hand it to them” – Chris Brock

Republic of Ireland make six changes to the starting XI named for the 3-2 friendly win over Latvia on Friday evening. Gavin Bazunu, John Egan, Josh Cullen, Jason Knight, Chiedozie Ogbene and captain Seamus Coleman replace Caoimhin Kelleher, Andrew Omobamidele, Alan Browne, Michael Obafemi and William Smallbone, who drop to the bench, and Callum O’Dowda, who is injured.

France make three changes to the XI that started the 4-0 Group B rout of the Netherlands last week. Benjamin Pavard, Eduardo Camavinga and Olivier Giroud replace Jules Koundé, Aurélien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman, who all drop to the bench.

The teams

Republic of Ireland: Bazunu, Collins, Egan, O’Shea, Coleman, Molumby, Cullen, Doherty, Knight, Ogbene, Ferguson.
Subs: Kelleher, Travers, Omobamidele, Browne, Obafemi, Idah, McClean, Hendrick, Sykes, McGrath, Smallbone, Johnson.

France: Maignan, Pavard, Konate, Upamecano, Hernandez, Camavinga, Griezmann, Rabiot, Kolo Muani, Mbappe, Giroud.
Subs: Samba, Areola, Disasi, Koundé, Fofana, Tchouameni, M Thuram, Veretout, Todibo, K Thuram, Diaby, Coman.

Referee: Artur Dias (Portugal).

Preamble

Given that France came within a penalty shootout of retaining the World Cup, are favourites to win Euro 2024, and on Friday night stuck four past the Netherlands, it’s fair to say the Republic of Ireland have a job on their hands tonight. “I think we’ll show - and we’ll need to show - fire and ice,” says Stephen Kenny, channelling his inner Robert Frost. All together now!

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

The elemental battle begins at 7.45pm BST. It’s on!