Against Belgium, Republic of Ireland will be competing for a place in League A, a move which would improve their seeding for the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The Belgians sit 20th in the Fifa women’s world rankings, seven places above the Irish.
Ward is without first choice goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, who misses out on the two-legged play-off with a knee problem.
Grace Moloney and Sophie Whitehouse have both been playing regularly for Sunderland and Charlton Athletic in the WSL 2 and Ward believes there is a “big question mark” over who will start in Friday’s first leg at the Aviva Stadium.
“Grace and Sophie are in good form from a data point of view, they’re top two in the WSL 2 right now,” she explained.
“They’re both playing and performing and they are very different. Honestly, that’s not been decided yet [who will start], there are some conversations to be had.”
Former Aston Villa boss Ward has been boosted by the return to fitness of Denise O’Sullivan, who came on for the last 20 minutes of North Carolina Courage’s 4-1 win over Bay FC at the weekend, her first game since suffering a knee injury in August.
“To have her back in is huge not just on the pitch, off the pitch, she is phenomenal,” Ward said of the 125-capped midfielder.
“On the pitch, I would argue she is one of the best players I have ever worked with as a pro and everything she does.
“To lose Denise would be catastrophic. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have her back.”
