Why are Declan Rice and Jack Grealish in the starting lineup for the Ireland vs. England UEFA Nations League match today?

England and Ireland play their first game in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday afternoon in Dublin. It is an old rivalry between the two teams, and England is looking to get back on track after their disappointing performance at Euro 2024.

The last time England played was in Berlin, when they lost to Spain. A lot has happened since then. The biggest change is that Gareth Southgate is no longer boss. He quit after the Euros and Lee Carsley has taken over his duties.

The former Ireland player is briefly in charge of the Three Lions, and it’s funny that his first game is against the team he used to play for.

After taking over as manager, the 50-year-old has chosen Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Guehi, Colwill, Mainoo, Rice, Gordon, Grealish, Saka, and Kane to start his first game.

Carsley has chosen to start both Rice and Grealish, who are likely to face a hostile crowd at the Aviva Stadium because they used to play for Ireland but now support England.

There is also a new manager in charge of the Republic of Ireland. He took over as permanent manager of the Irish national team this summer, replacing John O’Shea. This is Heimir Hallgrimsson’s first time in charge of the team.

When it comes to getting the Irish team to do better, the Icelandic coach has his work cut out for him.

The country hasn’t made it to any of the last few big tournaments, but the 57-year-old will try to change that with the young players he has at his disposal. But Ireland has to play in the UEFA Nations League first, and they’d love to start Hallgrimsson’s reign with a win over their oldest foes.

This is the team that the old Iceland coach chose to play England: Kelleher, Coleman, O’Shea, Collins, Doherty, Ogbene, Smallbone, Molumby, Brady, Szmodics, and Idah.