Carling Nations Cup Kicks Off

The presence of Seamus Coleman, Ciaran Clark and Jonathan Walters in Ireland's team to play Wales at the Aviva Stadium tonight (7.45 pm) underlines the value of matches outside the major championship qualifying ties.

All three young players will eagerly accept this invitation from manager Giovanni Trapattoni to make a case, in this inaugural Carling Nations Cup tie, for a regular place in Ireland's international squad.

Ireland's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa was particularly heart-breaking because it was such a marginal failure. Now the search continues for players who might add that little extra to earn qualification for the UEFA finals of 2012 in Poland/Ukraine.

The next UEFA qualifying match is set for March 26 against Macedonia in the Aviva Stadium. Trapattoni will not have the opportunity of spending too much time with his players in the meantime. Tonight's match, and the days preparing for it, were particularly important for that reason.

The new players have had the opportunity of impressing the manager in training and now they can take that a step further by playing well against Wales.

All three newcomers will welcome the fact that they will be surrounded by experienced international players. The presence of so many of Ireland's first choice team will offer them confidence and improve their chances of producing their best form.

Ciaran Clark, playing in his first match at left-back, will be comforted by the presence of his team-match at Aston Villa, Richard Dunne, alongside him and by the presence of Damien Duff just ahead.

Seamus Coleman will, no doubt, have been well tutored by Trapattoni in what is expected of him in a defensive role on the right of midfield. The backing of John O'Shea at right-back will surely offer him the encouragement to exercise his attacking inclinations.

What better foil could any striker have than the remarkable Kevin Doyle ? Jonathan Walters, who played 45 minutes as substitute for Doyle in the friendly against Norway in November, will benefit by having the ultimate team player from Wolverhampton Wanderers as partner on this occasion.

Ireland, just like Wales, were denied the services of several first-choice players by injuries but this Irish selection is a strong one. They will need to be hard-working and focused against a Welsh team who will, themselves, go into the match with many incentives.

This will be Wales' first match under new manager, Gary Speed, and the players are bound to be keen to impress. And with a forthcoming match against England in the UEFA Championship on the horizon, Wales' players will desperately want to claim a first-team place.

What is equally certain is that this will be a very close and competitive match; contests with Wales always are.

The players on both sides are well-known to one another. Richard Dunne for Ireland will have his centre-back partner at Aston Villa, James Collins, on the opposite side; Kevin Doyle will be striving to put one over on his club colleague, Wayne Hennessy, in goal for Wales; Glenn Whelan and Jonathan Walters will undoubtedly come into close contact with their club colleague at Stoke City, Danny Collins.

Ireland last played Wales in the qualifying tournament of the UEFA Championship of 2008. They won 1-0 at Croke Park on March 24, 2007 and drew 2-2 in Cardiff on November 17, 2007.

Ireland conceded a late goal to lose 1-2 to Norway in November at the Aviva Stadium in their last match and they will be looking for a positive result here to set them up for the challenging game against Macedonia to come.

Bright performances from the newcomers, Ciaran Clark, Seamus Coleman and Jonathan Walters would offer further encouragement for the difficult UEFA qualifying campaign that stretches ahead.

The teams that start at the Aviva Stadium tonight will be:

Republic of Ireland: Shay Given (Manchester City); John O'Shea (Manchester United), Sean St. Ledger (Preston NE), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa); Seamus Coleman (Everton), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Paul Green (Derby County) or Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Damien Duff (Fulham); Jonathan Walters (Stoke City), Kevin Doyle (Wolves).

Wales: 1. Wayne Hennessey (Wolves); 2. Neal Eardley (Blackpool), 3. Sam Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers), 4. Danny Collins (Stoke City), 5. James Collins (Aston Villa), 6. Andrew Crofts (Norwich City), 7. David Vaughan (Blackpool), 8. Andy King (Leicester City), 9. Simon Church (Reading), 10. Robert Earnshaw (Nottingham Forest), 11. Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading).