GOAL FOR IRELAND!

Marissa Sheva gets her second international goal. The half-time substitute sends in the shot which deflects off two Greek defenders to bounce beyond goalkeeper Nasi.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 1

Early free kick gives McCabe the chance to step up.

She goes straight for the shot but its high.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Back under way in Crete. Katie McCabe takes over the captain’s armband from Denise O’Sullivan.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Two changes for Ireland at half-time – Campbell and Toland off, McCabe and Sheva on.

HT: Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland will need a half-time shake-up if they’re to get firing after the break.

Greece will be happy with how the first half went. They put Courtney Brosnan’s goal under some mild pressure for a spell, but more importantly crowded out Ireland’s attacking efforts.

If things remain as is, Greece would pick up their first point of the campaign, a result they wouldn’t turn down.

HT: Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

A frustrating half for Ireland. Carla Ward’s side are focusing on the midfield and managing in defence, but the attack hasn’t been at the races.

Leanne Kiernan has been enthusiastic up front, even if it has put her on the referee’s watch list, but she’s been covered well.

HT: Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

HALF-TIME: GREECE 0 REP OF IRELAND 0

Another Campbell long throw, another blow of the referee’s whistle.

Ball has hardly made it to the box before referee Jelena Pejković awards Greece the free. Confusion among the Ireland players as to what the free is for, but on we go.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland get a corner and Lucy Quinn steps up. She plays it to Littlejohn, who plays it back, but referee calls offside.

Frustrating stuff from Ireland.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Referee has a word with Leanne Kiernan. She’s been pulled up for a few fouls now so she’d want to mind herself. Just a warning on this occasion.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Campbell sends a long arcing ball into the box. Kiernan and Carusa lie in wait but Greece’s goalkeeper Nasi is solid under the dropping ball once again.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Nice shot from Greece’s Sarri. Her running shot off the right goes just north of the crossbar, Littlejohn keeping her under pressure.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Free kick for Ireland.

Littlejohn steps up and rolls to Campbell who takes a shot off the left but its high.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland’s goal is coming under a bit of an assault, but Greece lacking the finesse to make it stick.

Brosnan urging her defence to slow things down.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Kiernan again on the charge. She does well to play it across to O’Sullivan who find Lucy Quinn. Quinn lets off the shot but it hasn’t the power needed.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland free kick.

Megan Campbell sends a straight shot in but Greece goalkeeper gets up to punch it clear. She clashes with the oncoming Anna Patten on the descent and it’s a free out.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Jessie Stapleton has a great first touch to intercept a Greece pass and clear the lines.

The home side are holding possession well up the field but their attempts on goal are flustered.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Megan Campbell sends in one of her signature long throw-ins which Greece fail to deal with. Ball find Littlejohn who makes the shot but it’s not her best effort, trailing well left of the post.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Cross in to Kiernan in the box. She goes up to meet it but is under pressure and the effort comes to nothing.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Kiernan makes a good run down the wing but is brought down. Referee, however, calls no foul so it’s a goal kick for Greece.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland looking comfortable on the ball. Anna Patten stays calm in the corner to clip her pass off a Greek player to send it out for a goal kick.

Brosnan’s kick puts Ireland back on the push.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

And they’re off. Denise O’Sullivan gets things under way.

Greece 0 Rep of Ireland 0

Ireland are currently ranked 26th in the Fifa women’s world rankings, while Greece are down in 61st.

For Carla Ward’s side anything other than the full three points will be a disappointment.

We’re almost ready to go.

Time for the anthems.

Before kick-off in Crete, this is how the Group 2 Nations League B table is looking:

Slovenia – 6 pts

Republic of Ireland – 3 pts

Turkey – 3 pts

Greece – 0 pts

Fifteen-minute warning. The game is being televised live on RTÉ 2.

Here’s how Ireland will line out against Greece. Kick-off 3pm.

IRELAND XI: Courtney Brosnan, Jessie Stapleton, Megan Campbell, Aoife Mannion, Tyler Toland, Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O’Sullivan (capt), Anna Patten, Lucy Quinn, Kyra Carusa, Leanne Kiernan.

Substitutes: Grace Moloney, Sophie Whitehouse, Caitlin Hayes, Amber Barrett, Katie McCabe, Aoibheann Clancy, Marissa Sheva, Saoirse Noonan, Abbie Larkin, Emily Murphy, Chloe Mustaki.

“If there’s a sizeable degree of pressure on her players to atone for February’s mediocre Nations League display against Turkey and the 4-0 mauling by Slovenia, there’s plenty on the shoulders of Carla Ward too after the opening to her reign as Republic of Ireland manager,” Mary Hannigan writes, previewing this afternoon’s game.

“‘That’s on me,’ she said of that first half away to Slovenia, when Ireland went 3-0 down, and while that admission was partly an attempt to take the focus off her players’ horror show, there was truth in it too.”

Read Mary’s preview in full below:

[ Carla Ward needs to figure out which Irish pieces go where against GreeceOpens in new window ]

And just like that, Gavin Cummiskey has sent news on our starters.

Jessie Stapleton, Megan Campbell, Tyler Toland and Leanne Kiernan come in for Heather Payne, Megan Connolly, Katie McCabe and Amber Barrett from Ireland’s game against Slovenia.

McCabe picked up calf strain during Arsenal’s game Real Madrid but may still feature from the bench.

Payne is out with an ankle injury so won’t be involved today but will be assessed ahead of Tuesday’s return visit at Tallaght Stadium.

Denise O’Sullivan takes over the captain’s armband from McCabe.

Here’s the Ireland squad named ahead of this afternoon’s game.

IRELAND: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton), Grace Moloney (unattached); Jessie Stapleton (Sunderland – on loan from West Ham), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Katie McCabe (Arsenal); Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Aoibheann Clancy (Shelbourne); Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United).

The Republic of Ireland play Greece in Group 2 of the Nations League B hoping to return to winning ways after a 4-0 defeat to Slovenia in their last outing at the end of February.

New manager Carla Ward insisted she must take the blame for the poor showing in Koper which came just four days after the Girls in Green opened their Nations League account with a 1-0 win over Turkey at Tallaght Stadium.

This afternoon’s game will get under way at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium in Crete at 3pm Irish time.

Follow along here for live updates on all the action, including team news, match updates, and post-match commentary and analysis from our writers.