The situation in which Ireland would benefit from a defeat in the upcoming international match against the Dutch national team seems to be off the table. The Irish are therefore going all out for a victory over the Dutch in mid-November. 'It will be an important match.'
Because the Nations League acts as a safety net for teams that do not qualify for the European Championship through regular qualification, a peculiar situation threatened to arise. The top teams in the Nations League's final rankings that haven't qualified through regular qualification will go to the playoffs.
Ireland currently doesn't belong to that category. Still, the more nations that finished above Ireland in the Nations League DO secure a European Championship ticket, the closer Ireland gets to that safety net.
The Netherlands finished above Ireland in the Nations League, unlike Greece, meaning that with a defeat, Ireland might have assisted the Dutch to a second place. However, The Irish Sun reports that this scenario is now off the table. 'The fact that the Netherlands beat Greece means that they are likely to qualify anyway with a win over Gibraltar in their final match. Based on what Ireland saw tonight, Gibraltar would lose to anyone.' Ireland defeated Gibraltar 4-0 on Monday night.
In Ireland, it is expected that the Netherlands probably has that second spot secured, meaning Ireland doesn't need to approach the match against the Dutch national team with mixed feelings. Ireland is going all out for the win. Not least because head coach Stephen Kenny is fighting for his position. 'I don't know if I'll still be the head coach after this campaign; it's not up to me,' he said at the press conference.
For me, it's especially important to achieve a good result in Amsterdam. Therefore, it's a very crucial match. The Netherlands must win to secure their qualification, so they will come out flying. We really need to show something in Amsterdam. It's a big challenge we are looking forward to. We will give it our all against the Netherlands. Because, of course, I want to remain the manager of Ireland.
