Pauw gives Mustaki second Ireland start for Sweden showdown
Chloe Mustaki only wins her second Irish senior national hat after Vera Pauw named her team for tonight’s World Cup qualifier in Sweden (17.30).
Mustaki has fought back from cancer and an ACL injury to revive his career and this opportunity against Europe’s best team before a 13,000 audience in Gothenburg is well deserved.
The Shelbourne player will line up as a left-back, with Megan Connolly switching from her usual midfield position to defense alongside Niamh Fahey and Louise Quinn.
Ruesha Littlejohn and Denise O’Sullivan will anchor the midfield and try to stop the yellow wave, with Lucy Quinn and captain Katie McCabe operating further up, just behind the only striker Heather Payne.
For Sweden, both Fridolina Rolfö and Filippa Angeldahl will miss, two of the three players who were confirmed sick on Sunday.
One point will be enough for Sweden to qualify for next year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand, but the audience will expect a routine seventh victory in a row in the campaign.
H Lindahl; H Glas, M Eriksson, A Ilstedt, L Sembrant; C Seger, F Angeldahl, F Rolfö, S Jakobsson; K Asllani, S Blackstenius.
C Brosnan; N Fahey, L Quinn, M Connolly: J Finn, R Littlejohn, D O’Sullivan, C Mutaki; Lucy Quinn, K McCabe; H Payne.
Iuliana Demetrescu (ROU)