Heimir Hallgrímsson refused to be drawn on whether Caoimhin Kelleher would hold onto the number one spot in Thursday’s game against Bulgaria.
The Ireland boss has been handed a selection dilemma with the return to fitness of Gavin Bazunu, who endured a long lay-off with a torn achilles.
Bazunu has played six games so far on-loan at Standard Liege in Belgium, while Kelleher made his 18th appearances for Liverpool in last weekend’s League Cup final defeat to Newcastle.
Mark Travers is also featuring regularly during his loan spell at Championship side Middlesbrough, and he too is in Plovdiv ahead of the game.
There was no room in Hallgrímsson’s Nations League promotion/relegation play-off squad for Bristol City’s regular number one Max O’Leary.
Kelleher is all but certain to get the nod in goal on Thursday night, but the return of Bazunu offered Hallgrímsson an opportunity to be vague about his preference - similar to Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s pre-match comments last week when he declined to confirm his goalkeeping selection for the Wembley clash with Newcastle.
“I think it just puts more pressure on everyone, and Caoimhín in particular, to have them playing day-in, day-out,” he said of Bazunu, Travers and O’Leary.
“Max is playing every game for Bristol City now and Trav is playing every game for Middlesbrough and Gavin is starting to play every game for Standard Liege.
“So it's probably the position that we have the in-form players in.
“I don't think many national teams have four as good goalkeepers as we have so it's a big, big competition between them looking forward but we are reaching that position.”
Asked if there was any reason to change his goalkeeper, Hallgrímsson replied: “We'll see (tonight).”
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