Kenny not feeling pressure despite back-to-back defeats

Stephen Kenny stressed that he was not feeling any pressure despite losing two games in a row to kick-off the Nations League campaign.

The Ireland manager had the greatest intentions of topping the League B group in order to gain promotion to the top tier, however, early defeats to Armenia away and at home to Ukraine have have turned ambition to aspiration.

Game three of the competition sees Ireland entertain Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday and the Ireland manager will be anxious to get some points on the board in order to have something to show at the half-way stage of the six-match campaign.

"No, I don't feel pressure," said Kenny, speaking at the pre-match press conference. "Only internal, and professional pride.

"Certainly, I feel disappointed with that, that we don’t have points on the board."

The four-fixture end-of-season international window is already taking its toll on the Ireland squad as John Egan has joined Seamus Coleman on the injured list ahead of the Nations League clash with Scotland.

Only at the midway point of the summer series, three of the initial 27-man squad have now been declared unavailable for Saturday’s game as Gavin Bazunu had already returned to his club for treatment on a small fracture of the ribs.

Captain Coleman has now left the squad and will not be available for the away Ukraine game in Lodz on Tuesday, while Egan is nursing an ankle injury.

And the Ireland manager admitted the schedule, which also involved a long-haul return journey to Yerevan to play Armenia, is having a physical effect on the squad, accepting that he would have to change things around for game number three.

Kenny named nine of the same side who lost the opener in Armenia for the Ukraine game on Tuesday, and now