Qatar v Ireland: What time, what channel and all you need to know about tonight's friendly

Can it be 11th time lucky for Stephen Kenny tonight as he faces into a friendly against a Qatar side parachuted into Ireland’s World Cup qualifying group as preparation for their hosting of the World Cup next year?

Here's all you need to know about the game.

What time is kick-off?

7.45PM at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary

Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown on RTE2 and Sky Sports Football with coverage on starting at 7PM and 7.40PM respectively. We'll also be live-blogging all the action as it happens here on Independent.ie.

What will Ireland's starting line-up look like?

Injuries to Enda Stevens and Matt Doherty have taken his wing-backs out of the equation and it would be a surprise if Kenny stuck with the 3-5-2 that unraveled against Luxembourg on Saturday.

He has partially explained the switch because of concerns about the fitness of his wingers with the interrupted preparations of Robbie Brady and James McClean mentioned but they will surely come into the equation if he switches to something like a 4-2-3-1 with Daryl Horgan another name worthy of mention.

The presence of Jason Knight at the pre-match press conference points to his continued involvement and there’s a balancing act for the manager here because it’s clear from both his ruminations and the words of his FAI employers on Sunday that the promotion of young players is viewed as a positive entry in the general ledger.

Yet on the flip side of that, he’s got players such as Jeff Hendrick and particularly Shane Duffy who have come away for a week and suffered a demotion.

There’s an argument for bringing Duffy into a back-four anyway but Kenny will surely be conscious of the dynamics of keeping big figures in the dressing-room on board.

What about Qatar?

Qatar are effectively like a club side, with an entirely domestic-based squad made up of natives and naturalised players all working towards a 2022 goal.

The 2019 Asian Cup winners are looking for a third win in a week after seeing off Luxembourg and Azerbaijan so they are worthy of respect.

Similar to Luxembourg, they’ve been together for a while and know exactly what they are, which makes them a dangerous opponent for a side still struggling to find a new identity.

What's Stephen Kenny had to say?

“Tactically ignorant, I don’t think that would be the case. I wouldn’t agree with that."

"There is an element of criticism there that is justified, that we need to be more creative in that final third and have better combination play between our attacking players and our wing-backs and I accept some of that criticism.”

What are the pundits saying?

Daniel McDonnell says that: "When the opponent is a controversial World Cup host building stadiums in gruelling conditions that have cost workers their lives, the language of football pressure can almost seem incongruous.

"The heat that Stephen Kenny is feeling right now is a first-world problem, and he is self-aware enough to be conscious of that, having his say about Qatar without dwelling on it because that would likely lead to allegations of deflection.

"But in his own world, he’s under pressure right now and there’s more than one reason to conclude that the under-fire manager could do without a trip to Hungary for a friendly match."

Meanwhile, David Kelly has highlighted the human rights issues that have dogged Qatar's preparation for hosting nest year's World Cup.

"In September 2013, Madhu Bollapally left his family home in India to join the two million other migrant workers seeking an honest wage in a dishonest land.

"Tethered to Qatar’s employment regime of ‘Kafala’, which forces migrants to cede their passports for the right to work long hours, in searing 50 ° C temperatures, for minimum pay and living standards, Madhu had wanted to support his family by making a living.

"But his family would never see him again, for it was a living that would cost him his life. His prone body was discovered by a fellow worker in their cramped accommodation, a death later ascribed to “natural causes”. He was 43. His wife and 13-year-old son received €1,334.57 in compensation."

What are the odds?

Despite recent form, the bookies make Ireland clear favourites - Paddy Power have Ireland to win at 11/10, Qatar at 23/10 with the draw 11/10.

Online Editors