Niall Quinn will be kept on the bench when the Republic of Ireland face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and then unleashed late on as Mick McCarthy's secret weapon.
There have been calls for the Sunderland striker to start against the Saudis in Yokohama to help Ireland claim the victory that will take them into the second phase of the World Cup.
Quinn made the difference when he came off the bench with 17 minutes remaining against Germany on Wednesday and laid on the dramatic injury-time equaliser for Robbie Keane in the 1-1 draw.
But manager McCarthy believes 35-year-old Quinn - who has also been troubled by a persistent back injury - will be more effective starting on the bench against the Saudis and joining the action in the last quarter.
"I know when I played I hated to get through a hard hour's football and then see a big guy warming up on the touchline," said former central defender McCarthy.
"Defenders are getting tired and the last thing they want to see is someone like Niall ready to give it everything for 20 minutes.
"If we started with Quinny and it didn't work then we would all be on a downer. As a substitute, however, Niall's arrival lifts our team and hurts the opposition and that's the way I like it.
McCarthy explained that his players must take a different psychological approach into their final group E fixture. After being underdogs in their first two matches against Cameroon and Germany, Ireland will be favourites against the Saudis.
"A different psychological approach is needed for this game," said McCarthy.
"Because of the nature of our first game being against Cameroon and then having to face Germany, I don't think many people gave us a cat in hell's chance of getting anything out of them.
"But now people expect us just to turn up and we'll win, and that gives you a different problem.
"But Saudi Arabia is not going to be easy. I saw enough to worry me when they played Cameroon and lost 1-0 on Thursday. We'll have to play as well as we have in the last two games to win it. -PA