Keane in defiant mood

Roy Keane, the Republic of Ireland captain, was yesterday a defiant note, ahead of tomorrow evening's crucial European championship meeting with Yugoslavia in the Red Star stadium in Belgrade.

Keane, leading the team for only the third time, said he believed they could get a good result in spite of all their pre-match problems.

"In a way, we are almost conditioned to this situation - it is very seldom everything goes to plan in the run up to an international game," he said.

"There has been a lot said and written about the five-day release rule but that's now history. We're here to do a job and we intend to succeed.

"Football is a squad game and while no manager likes to lose key players, the lads coming into the side will be familiar with the system and the way Mick McCarthy wants them to play."

Commenting on the Yugoslav team, he said: "They have some very good individuals but if I'm honest, I have to admit that they didn't impress me all that much during the World Cup finals in France.

"Man for man, Croatia have a better side and having beaten them in Dublin, I don't think we should be in awe of Yugoslavia, even in their own backyard.

"We'll give them respect, of course, but I agree with Mick's statement that we should be positive and concentrate on our own strengths rather than worry too much about the opposition".

"Some of us believe that we were good enough to be involved in the World Cup finals and this is our chance to prove the point. To make the cut for the European finals, we need a good result in either Belgrade and Zagreb and that's a thought we will take on to the pitch on Wednesday."

It was an early start for the players yesterday. Warned of the sodden conditions in Belgrade, McCarthy took his squad for a pre-breakfast training session on a frozen pitch, close to the team's headquarters at Dublin airport.

And the encouraging news was that Steve Staunton and David Connolly, two of the casualties from Saturday's club programme in England, both trained. So, too, did Gary Breen, the Coventry central defender who joined the squad late on Sunday night after the 3-0 Premiership win over Everton.

Breen was a substitute for that game but yesterday dismissed suggestions that Gordon Strachan was not prepared to gamble on his damaged back.

"The fact is that the manager had prepared for the game on the assumption that I would not be available because of Ireland's match and even when that situation changed, he was not prepared to change tack," he said.

"Nobody likes to miss an important club game but in this instance, I wasn't too upset. The match in Belgrade is a huge one and I have been looking forward to it, ever since the draw was made.

"I still don't know if I'm going to be involved at the start but at least I've had a couple of days extra rest to get myself prepared properly. And if I get the chance of making a contribution, I aim to take it."

Disturbingly, Mark Kinsella was again absent from yesterday's session. Kinsella, who complained of a dead leg after Charlton's game against Middlesbrough, confined himself to light exercises but is expected to test his fitness this morning before the team is selected.

Predictably, McCarthy has resisted the temptation to call up Andy Townsend and that is being interpreted as an indication that he expects the Charlton midfield player to be available.

"We left Mark on the easy list to give him an extra day to shake off his problem," he said. "At this point, I'm optimistic but we'll just have to see how he goes in training tomorrow morning."