Carla Ward says Ireland are daring to believe automatic World Cup qualification is attainable as they build up to Friday\u2019s return to P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh.<\/p>\n
Captain Katie McCabe and her teammates assembled at Fota Island on Sunday ahead of the concluding qualifiers against the sixth and fourth best teams in Europe.<\/p>\n
Netherlands, minus their inspirational striker Vivianne Miedema, are in Cork this week for the first part of the double-header (Friday, 7.30pm).<\/p>\n
Ward\u2019s team then travel to face France in Grenoble on Tuesday week.<\/p>\n
Back-to-back victories over Poland in April ensure Ireland are guaranteed to be seeded in both ties of the World Cup play-offs later in the year. Only by leapfrogging the top two seeds on the run-in could they snaffle one of the precious direct tickets to the finals in Brazil next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe position we’re in, you know, let’s be really honest, I don’t think anyone in world football gave us a chance with two games to go to be competing where we are now,\u201d said the Ireland manager.<\/p>\n
“There’s no bigger motivation than that league table, than playing the very best and this group of players are hungry to be better all the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s first meetings against the French and Dutch in February ended in narrow 2-1 defeats. They were missing Denise O\u2019Sullivan through injury for the latter loss in Utrecht and the Cork native will again be absent against the Dutch due to a second booking of the campaign incurred in the win over Poland at Lansdowne Road.<\/p>\n
Attacker Emily Murphy, another influential figure in Ireland\u2019s campaign, is also banned from the first game.<\/p>\n