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Ireland draw Bosnia for Euro 2016 play-offs

Eurosport
ByEurosport

Updated 18/10/2015 at 18:05 GMT

Ireland will be away to Bosnia in the first leg of their Euro 2016 play-off, while Sweden face Denmark in a Scandinavian derby.

Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long is targeting automatic qualification for the Euro 2016 finals

Image credit: PA Sport

In the other two clashes Hungary will face Norway while Slovenia will take on Ukraine.
The first legs of the matches will be played on 12-14 November, with the second legs on 15-16 November.
Euro 2016 play-off draw (first named teams play opening legs at home)
UKRAINE V SWEDEN
SWEDEN v DENMARK
BOSNIA V IRELAND
HUNGARY V NORWAY
Martin O'Neill's Ireland side finished third in Group D behind world champions Germany and Poland, putting them into a two-legged knockout against a fellow third-placed side.
O'Neill told Sky Sports that he will fancy his team's chances of getting a result in the second leg Dublin, but cautioned that there is a big job to be done before then.
"I think we need to perform out in Bosnia if that second game is to mean something," said O'Neill, adding that he worries he may end up losing players to injury in the next four weeks.
"Whatever we have when the time comes, we will go for it, we will give it absolutely everything we have in a bid to get to France."
Opponents Bosnia were the next-best team after Belgium and Wales qualified from Group B.
They have played Ireland only once before, at the Aviva Stadium in 2012 when Shane Long scored the only goal of the match.
Bosnia have lost on both their previous two appearances in a playoff round, having been eliminated by Portugal in the final qualifying stages of the 2010 World Cup and then Euro 2012.
They qualified directly for Brazil last year when they made their first appearance at a major tournament as an independent nation.
Hungary will have to overcome Norway if they are to qualify for their first major tournament in 30 years following Sunday's draw while Sweden and Denmark will clash in a Scandinavian derby.
Hungary, who have been in the international wilderness since they appeared at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, will play the first leg away against the Norwegians, who themselves have not played at a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.
Hungary, semi-finalists in the 1964 and 1972 European championships, have won six and lost five of their 16 meetings with Norway but have not beaten the Scandinavians since a 4-1 win in Budapest in 1981, a run of nine games.
Their last appearance in a playoff was in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers when they crashed to a 12-1 aggregate defeat to Yugoslavia.
"I know Norwegian football very well -- no one needs to introduce the opposition to us -- so we know an excellent team awaits us," Hungary coach Bernd Storck told reporters.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden, who lost out to Portugal in a playoff for the last World Cup, will be at home in the first leg against neighbours Denmark.
Sweden and Denmark have met 104 times with 45 wins for the Swedes and 40 for the Danes, who are the only former European champions in the play-offs.
History does not favour Ukraine, who have yet to beat Slovenia in four games, with two draws and two defeats, and lost out to their opponents in the playoffs for a place at Euro 2000.
"There is no need to look for motivation against the teams of Spain or France's calibre, but we have to play with double motivation against the likes of Slovenia," said Ukraine midfielder Taras Stepanenko.
"We have a great chance to qualify to the finals and everybody has to give their all to achieve this aim."
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