Jim Crawford International San Marino Ukraine Belgium Netherlands Spain Serbia Italy Scotland Norway Hungary Turkey Ireland Kazakhstan Iceland Israel Latvia county Republic Azerbaijan county Turner Slovakia Luxembourg soccer Sport Jim Crawford International San Marino Ukraine Belgium Netherlands Spain Serbia Italy Scotland Norway Hungary Turkey Ireland Kazakhstan Iceland Israel Latvia county Republic Azerbaijan county Turner Slovakia Luxembourg

Ireland U21s to face Italy again in Euro qualifying after groups revealed

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The Republic of Ireland under-21 will face familiar opposition in Euro 2025 qualifying after they were drawn alongside five-time winners Italy in Group A.Norway, Turkey, Latvia and San Marino were also drawn into Group A at Thursday's event in Nyon with the games set to take place between March 2023 and October 2024.Jim Crawford’s side were at an all-time high UEFA ranking of 19th for the draw, ensuring them a second seed spot among the 52 teams."Qualification for the Under-21 European Championship is always a challenge and this is a challenge we're looking forward to," the manager said."These games will be a great opportunity for players to develop and prepare for senior international football.

I look forward to working with them as they will be new generation of Under-21s internationals."Ireland finished second behind Italy in qualification for the 2023 U21 tournament before losing out to Israel after a penalty shoot-out last September.The side will warm up for qualifying with a friendly against Iceland at Turner's Cross as the team return to Cork for the first time in over a decade.The nine group winners and the three best runners-up (not counting results against sixth-placed teams) will qualify directly for the tournament alongside hosts Slovakia.The other six runners-up will play off over two legs for the remaining three finals berths in November 2024.Northern Ireland, meanwhile, have been placed in Group F alongside England, Ukraine, Serbia, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg.The side are on the hunt for a new manager after John Schofield stood down earlier this week.Group A: Italy, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Turkey, Latvia, San MarinoGroup B: Spain, Belgium, Scotland, Hungary, Kazakhstan, MaltaGroup C: Netherlands,

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