International Friendly
Republic of Ireland v Senegal, Aviva Stadium
When
Friday 6 June, kick-off 7.45pm
TV/Player
Watch live build-up and coverage of the match on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm
Radio
There is no live coverage of the game
Online
There will be a live blog on rte.ie/sport, the RTÉ News app, as well as updates and goals on RTÉ Sport on X and RTÉ Sport Facebook.
Weather
Rain is likely during the game on a mild night between 12 and 14 degrees.
All eyes on September
Republic of Ireland play two matches in the June window against Senegal on Friday night and away to Luxembourg next Tuesday.
Before looking into the matches, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has stated everything is being geared towards the World Cup qualifiers in September.
The victories over Bulgaria in the Nations League were a fillip for the Ireland boss, and once again, he said the important factor was his side enjoying a winning feeling going into the qualification campaign .
Eight games down, it has still been a whirlwind for Hallgrimsson as he enters the crucial part of his tenure.
He has spoken about wanting more games in this window, yet the two fixtures secured are definitely of use.
It’s no coincidence that the Ireland manager praised Stephen Kenny for blooding so many youngsters during his tenure, that work has given him a platform to build on.
This is a new opportunity for many of the current squad to secure a starting role for years to come.
Hallgrimsson said: “It was a big, brave decision to do that as we’re benefiting from a lot of players who now have 20-plus caps for Ireland.”
These closing matches will go a long way to deciding the starting team for games with Armenia, Hungary and Portugal in World Cup qualifying.
Senegal a new departure
African sides do not visit Dublin very often as Senegal make the journey for the first time. Ranked 19th in the world, they may not hold weight in name but are certainly a class above Ireland.
A host of Premier League stars will be on show. Ex-Liverpool striker Sadio Mane misses out but some current players operating in England will feature.
“It’s a personal decision that is his private business, and I respect that as a coach,” coach Pape Thiaw told a press conference about Mane not being involved.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Matar Sarr, Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr and another attacker in Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, will all be involved.
Mlder Mamadou Lamine is the only new face in their squad.
Nevertheless, the opposition is largely irrelevant. These matches are all about settling on what Ireland can do.
New faces and experimenting
The headlines this week has been about the likes of Josh Honohan, John Joe Patrick Finn, Killian Phillips, and Josh Keeley.
Some are for the future, others on the fringes and called up with the time of year a factor, and they will play a role.
The battle is on for starting positions rather than numbers in the squad. Up front Ireland have Evan Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Adam Idah available.
Heimir Hallgrimsson is hopeful that striker Troy Parrott can recover from illness in time to play a part in the Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Senegal on Friday #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/5D07VEmyzj
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 5, 2025
Ferguson plays at a higher level, while the latter duo have goals to their name. Building confidence will do no harm and Hallgrimsson may need to commit to at least one.
Ferguson is most in need of game time so that is in his favour, and Parrott has emerged as a doubt due to illness.
Midfield will definitely hold the likes of Jason Knight and Will Smallbone. Jack Taylor should also see more game time.
Debuts could arrive for Phillips and Finn.
Caoimhin Kellher, now a Brentford player and set to hold the number one jersey going forward as a Premier League regular, will be starting.
Player of the year Robbie Brady is also sure to feature in a familar defensive line-up.
What is to come after this?
Luxembourg is the second game for Ireland.
In the summer window it can be common for some regulars to drop out of the squad to begin their rest periods early and it wouldn’t be a surprised if it occured here, especially with players that are in the Championship or have had a long season so far.
The Senegal clash will certainly be the toughest encounter next week may see more players involved from the bench rather than in Dublin.
Results are not important for Ireland though at this point, according to the manager.
Hallgrimsson said: “I wouldn’t mind losing both these games if we won both games in September, if you are thinking about it that way.
“Obviously, we want to win all of our matches and we go to every match to win it. We have a good squad now and we are going to go for it, for sure.
“Most games, national teams games are official competitive games, so we are lucky that we have two friendlies now, like we said before this camp to give some players a needed rest after a really long season and hopefully that will give us fresh players in September.”
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Watch Republic of Ireland v Senegal from 7pm Friday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
