What's at stake as Ireland finish off Nations League?

Four games played, two remaining; barring a strange set of results over the next week, Ireland look set to end their League B, Group 1 campaign in mid-table obscurity.

A disappointing start to the campaign, where Stephen Kenny's side were surprisingly beaten 1-0 away in Armenia, followed up by a home defeat to Ukraine, virtually ruled out promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.

In fact, it threw this still-emerging Republic of Ireland side into a relegation scrap with the lowest ranked side, Armenia, with four games remaining to salvage the campaign and avoid the drop.

A kick-start was needed, and it arrived courtesy of a comprehensive 3-0 home win against Scotland in what was a convincing performance for Kenny’s side.

And the team followed it up away in Lodz, where they fought hard to secure a well-earned 1-1 away draw in the Polish venue, against a Ukraine side still unable to play at home as a result of the Russian invasion of their country.

The four-game blitz over ten summer nights ended on the right note, with many positives to be drawn from the final two games, from Michael Obafemi’s emergence into the international side, combined with the top-class showing of Nathan Collins in the away game against Ukraine, where a player of the match performance was topped off with a magnificent individual effort.

Ireland now sit in third place in the group ahead of this weekend’s away game in Glasgow, followed by a home fixture against Armenia on Tuesday, and provided Kenny’s men avoid a repeat of the opening result against the fourth-placed side, they should be safe from relegation.

At this stage, Ukraine look like they will top the group, however, they must play three games in a week now, as a result of their World Cup