Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson explains Troy Parrott, Evan Ferguson selection ahead of Greece game

Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson will start up front for Ireland in the Nations League game in Greece.

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has explained why he has named an attack-minded side, with Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson included in his starting-11.

Hallgrímsson has opted for the pair, with Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie supporting from wide areas.

He told RTÉ ahead of the game: “I guess we think we are going to defend a little bit lower than we did, so it’s more maybe a counter-attacking thought behind that.

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“They are both good players, a little bit different in how they play. Troy has been really good in going in behind in his team (AZ Alkmaar), so that’s the hope, that if the game is played like we think we can exploit the speed and skill running in behind with Sammie, Chieo and him, so that’s the thought.

“I think there is going to be a lot of running, especially for the wingers, so it’s good to maybe switch and rest tired legs. But also just different kinds of threats with different kinds of players. They have a freedom to rotate.”

Hallgrímsson hopes his side can build on the win in Finland last Thursday.

“We had a lot of good positions, crosses, shots on target, and we were effective going forward,” he said. “But most of it came from shape, from good collective defence and winning the ball from there.

“That is what we need to do now, we need to, especially in the beginning, I expect this is going to be a really hostile environment in the first maybe 20 or 30 minutes.

“There are a lot of emotions around here in Greece and they are on a high. So we just need to expect that, be solid and when we have the break there are also opportunities in them being ambitious and maybe a little bit over-ambitious in the beginning. There is an opportunity in that if we are clever.”

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