FAI general secretary Brendan Menton yesterday welcomed the news that the Republic of Ireland will play a side from Asia if the team manages to avoid being beaten by the Netherlands today and then goes on to finish second in its qualification group.

"In football terms it's a good draw for us," said Menton. "The games would be less lucrative than ones against some of the major European teams, but the balance is that we would appear to have a better chance of getting through to the finals next summer."

Asked about the draw at yesterday's post-training press conference, Mick McCarthy said that he had heard about it on the radio on the way to Lansdowne Road. "They were saying it was great news for the Irish, but I imagine it got the Dutch fired up too. They'll know what's there for them if they can come here and turn the Irish over."

McCarthy, though, insisted that any talk of what might happen in the next stage of the competition was premature ahead of this afternoon's game. "It's a distraction."

Under the terms of the draw, which was made in Zurich yesterday morning, the runners up in Ireland's group will play the winners of a play-off between the two teams to finish second in their respective groups of the second phase of the AFC qualifying competition. Although the second phase is still at an early stage, China, Iran, Iraq and Uzbekistan are among the sides that the Irish or Dutch may end up having to face on November 10th and 15th.

The first of the two games will be in Europe. Fears that such a game would clash with the rugby international between Ireland and Western Samoa have been dispelled following a decision by the IRFU to move their game back a day.