Stack starts as Givens bloods at least four new players for U21 clash
Right-back Steve Brennan (Newcastle) and midfielder Gary Dempsey (Dunfermline) will be introduced from the kick-off and standing by to come into the team at half-time will be J. J. Melligan (Wolves/Kidderminister) and Sean Thornton (Sunderland).
Among the more interesting changes made by Givens in the team from that which lost to Switzerland in the Championship 2-3 at Buckley Park, Kilkenny, in November is the selection of goalkeeper Graham Stack in place of Joe Murphy (West Brom).
Murphy was the regular first-choice for Ireland over the past couple of seasons but he has seen little action with West Brom's first team this season.
Stack has been an ever-present this season in the premier division of the Belgium league while out on loan with Beveren.
Ireland will resume their championship programme at this level in tandem with Ireland's senior team when they visit Georgia and Albania at the end of next month.
Just like the senior team, they lost their first two matches to Russia and to Switzerland and the loss to Switzerland was especially disappointing.
Ireland led early in that game in Kilkenny 2-0, but lost a goal just before half-time and conceded two more as the Swiss took over in the second half.
That game was very much on the mind of manager Givens after yesterday's training session when he said: "This game is useful because I want to work on the defensive things we did not get right against Switzerland.
"We were very good going forward in that game and I want to continue to develop that, but we paid the price in defence for our attacking football and we need to correct that. I want to see us tighten up this aspect of our game"
Givens has senior internationals Jim Goodwin (Stockport), Thomas Butler (Sunderland) and Graham Barrett (Arsenal) in his team and all three are expected to challenge for positions in the senior squad before too long.
All three made their first appearances at senior level under Mick McCarthy when Ireland played Finland in a friendly international in Helsinki at the beginning of the season.
Said Givens: "It will be interesting to see how the new players do so there is a lot to learn from this match. But we also want to win we want to come back here after the match with a win under our belt and it would be nice to keep a clean sheet as well."
One of the players who has been in sparkling form in recent matches for what is effectively Ireland's second team is Shelbourne winger Wesley Hoolahan. And Givens admitted he was hugely impressed with the diminutive winger.
He said: "The unfortunate thing for Wesley is that the professional teams are obsessed with the physical side of the game and few of them are playing football. If he could get a club who concentrate on passing the ball, like Nottingham Forest, he would have a very good future."
A positional change he has made is the selection of Gary Dempsey in midfield. Dempsey played right-back against Switzerland but has been playing regularly in midfield for Dunfermline this season and scored for them at the week-end when they maintained their challenge for a place in Europe next season.
Dempsey, from Wexford, was with Everton a little over twelve months ago and returned to join Bray Wanderers. He could not win a regular place with Bray and moved to Waterford United from where he was transferred to Dunfermline and he has made a big impact this season in Scotland.
Ireland (U21 v Scotland)
Stack (Beveren); Brennan (Newcastle Utd), Goodwin (Stockport), Byrne (Scunthorpe), Tierney (Crewe); Butler (Sunderland), Dempsey (Dunfermline), Thompson (Nottingham Forest), Hoolahan (Shelbourne); Barrett (Brighton), Reid (Nottingham Forest).
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