Match Preview
England meet the Republic of Ireland for the first time in eighteen years tonight as the FA's 150th birthday celebrations continue at Wembley. Giovanni Trapattoni will be hoping his side can be party poopers however as the Green Army aim to continue their five-game unbeaten run against tonight's hosts. England have not beaten Ireland in any of their last five encounters, with the Boys in Green collecting five points from their last three qualifiers in London. Roy Hodgson's side are however unbeaten in their last five games at Wembley, a run which has taken in victories over Belgium, Italy and Brazil, whom they face in a prestige friendly on Sunday. And despite the fact it has been nearly 20 years since the two nations met, there will be no strangers out on the field tonight. Seven English-born players make up Trapattoni's starting XI, which also includes six current Premier League players. The last time the two countries met, the game had to be abandoned due to rioting, so lets hope the FA's birthday celebrations don't get too out of hand tonight.