Irish Under-21s returning to Cork for Iceland friendly

Republic of Ireland Under-21s will take on Iceland in a friendly at Turner's Cross as the team return to Cork for the first time in over a decade. Jim Crawford’s team are using the friendly as preparation for their upcoming UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaign. The side haven't played since the play-off defeat to Israel last September. Turner’s Cross has long been a host to Under-21 internationals with Ireland facing some of Europe’s heavyweights such as Germany, England, France and Portugal. The stadium has a capacity of up to 7,000. This Thursday Crawford will discover who his U-21s will face in qualification when the draw is made in Nyon, Switzerland.

The run to a first ever play-off saw them rise to an all-time high place of 19th in the UEFA rankings. Crawford said: "I’m really excited to be bringing a team to Cork and showing our fans the talent that Irish football has to offer. "When you see how much the Cork public came out to watch other Irish international sides and their hometown Cork City you can’t help but be enticed to play a game in what is great city. "We had some amazing games in Tallaght Stadium and the fans in Dublin really got behind us and I have every hope those in Cork and beyond will do just the same. "Iceland will be a tough opponent and like ourselves reached the play-offs in the last campaign. It’s the reason I wanted test ourselves against such quality players and it will make for a fascinating game."