Martin O’Neill expects to start James McClean against Austria

Martin O’Neill expects James McCarthy to be declared fit for Saturday night’s World Cup qualifier in Vienna after Friday night’s final training session with the West Brom winger having steadily progressed through the week to the point where the manager now seems certain to start him in what will be one of the key games of the campaign.

“James is improving greatly thankfully,” said the manager at his pre-match press conference. “He was in great a lot of discomfort (with a back problem) over the weekend. But he came to us on Monday and after a lot of good work, much of it by James himself, he is pretty good.

“He didn’t do a great deal but he trained yesterday and I would expect him to do a bit tonight. If that is the case then he will declare himself fit. He is recovering and that it is good.”

Asked if McClean might start to grow into the striking role in which the team is currently so short-handed, O'Neill suggested that he might but insisted that Jonathan Walters remains somebody who can deliver up front at this level.

"Somebody asked me if he can take over what you might consider the Jon Walters mantle for this particular tournament and the answer is 'I don't know' but he scored a couple of goals in the last game and did exceptionally well. When Shane Long came off Jon went to centre forward and played excellently, laid off the goal for James and did really well so we have a number of good options."

Overall, he said that the game in Vienna, where 20 centimetres of snow are expected to fall overnight but without threatening the game, is a big but not decisive one for the visiting team.

“I think they (the Austrians) are a very good side. They have come home from the Euros very disappointed because they would have expected to do a lot better than they did but having said that they did draw with the side that went on to win it.

“That win in Georgia could prove to be a very big win. I think with Wales riding high, I don’t think any of us would have been surprised hugely with that draw and losing in Serbia would not be the end of the world. I think they will be there or thereabouts at the end

“Us remaining unbeaten, let’s say over the Christmas period and into March would naturally give us a boost; there’s no question about that and any point away from home in international football or club football or European football is still considered, even by the very best sides, to be a good result. Our destiny, though, will be decided in 2017.”

“This is still a very important game, don’t get me wrong, and our intention is very much to go out and be on the front foot, to be positive and try to go for it.”