Collins Injury Blow Threatens Ireland's Nations League Start

Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the Nations League after suffering a calf injury in Brentford’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

The centre-back, a mainstay for both club and country, limped off in the Premier League clash last weekend and will now miss Brentford’s fixtures up to the international break.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews confirmed the setback ahead of their game against Bournemouth, outlining the scale of the problem and effectively ruling Collins out of action for the coming weeks.

“No, he won't be involved this side of the international break. Unfortunately, he's picked up a calf injury,” Andrews said, noting that the defender, capped 40 times by Ireland, had tried to grit his way through the issue.

“He probably felt it a little bit earlier in the game and tried to play through it, naturally, like he would, given the type of character he is and being one of our leaders and our captains. So, no, unfortunately he won't be involved.”

For Heimir Hallgrimsson, the timing could hardly be worse.

Nations League Schedule

Ireland open their Nations League Group B3 campaign away to Kosovo on Thursday, 24 September, before travelling to face Israel three days later. They then return to Dublin to host Austria at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, 1 October, and round off the extended international window with a second meeting against Israel at a neutral venue on Sunday, 4 October.

With four games packed into 11 days and the captain nursing a calf problem, Ireland’s plans for the campaign’s opening stretch suddenly look far less straightforward.