Ireland Under-21s will head to the Croatian capital of Zagreb next month for two friendlies against Croatia and England Under-20s.

The games will prepare the squad for four crucial qualifiers later this year as they bid to become the first Ireland Under-21s squad to reach the European Championships.

Ireland currently sit in second place in Group A on 13 points, with a game in hand over Group leaders Italy who are on 15 points.

Head Coach Jim Crawford will assess his options for those games with the team set to meet up in early June before facing Croatia on Friday, June 7 and England on June 11.

Match Details

Fixture: Croatia U21s v Ireland U21s
Competition: International Friendly  
Venue: TBC
Date: Friday, June 7
Kick-off: 5pm (Irish time)
TV: TBC
Tickets: Ticket information will be released in due course.

Last 2 meetings

03.09.1999 | Croatia 5-1 Ireland, UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier
04.09.1998 | Ireland 2-2 Croatia, UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier

Fact: Ireland centurion Kevin Kilbane was in the Under-21s side that drew with Croatia 2-2 in Buckley Park, Kilkenny back in 1998.

Match Details

Fixture: Ireland U21s v England U21
Competition: International Friendly  
Venue: TBC
Date: Tuesday, June 11
Kick-off: 3pm (Irish time)
TV: TBC
Tickets: Ticket information will be released in due course.

Last 3 meetings

05.06.2015 | England 3-1 Ireland, International Friendly
05.03.2008 | England 3-0 Ireland, UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier
16.10.2007 | Ireland 0-3 England, UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier
 

Fact: Sean Long, (now playing with Cheltenham Town) was the goalscorer for Ireland the last time the nations met.