SOCCER Czech Republic v Rep of Ireland:It was all smiles at the top table in the Sparta Stadium press centre yesterday as the official translator's marked inability to get to grips with the brand of English bandied about at pre-match press conferences clearly cheered up Steve Staunton and Robbie Keane.

The manager had arrived with glad tidings: Andy Reid will play tonight. But there is no place for Stephen Hunt as Staunton sticks with the 10 of Saturday's starters still available to him for a game that may well spell the end of Ireland's chances of making it to next summer's finals.

He had, he said, considered more extensive changes but decided against making them after assessing the incumbents' performances in training over the past couple of days. "They're all keen and eager to go so I'm putting my trust and faith in them," remarked the Louthman.

The Irish will, he admitted, have to be at their very best if they are to get the win that would catapult back them in front of their hosts in the race for qualification, while to get even a draw, and at least string things out a little longer, they will have to play with more composure than they could muster in Bratislava.

Staunton admitted to being disappointed with the number of "simple errors in the passing department" on that occasion. At the weekend, they struggled to cope with the speed with which their opponents moved the ball as they swept forward, and they looked terribly vulnerable when the hosts worked the ball into wide positions in order to attack John O'Shea and Stephen Kelly.

The Czechs have the ability to do all of that much better than their neighbours and the Irish will have to disrupt their build-up play in midfield, win the ball and then keep it far more effectively than they did at the Slovan stadium if they are to harbour hopes of a good night.

With Jan Koller out, there is some doubt as to how Karel Bruckner will approach the game.

Milan Baros will almost certainly start if sufficiently recovered from the back problem that kept him out of the win over San Marino, and most here expect he will be. After that the veteran coach has the option of playing with a fifth midfielder - Jan Polak of Anderlecht - or providing a partner for the former Aston Villa striker.

Of the three leading candidates for the role, Libor Dosek is the least-known abroad. But Bruckner acknowledged this week the temptation of handing a first cap to the 29-year-old Sparta man, who, incredibly, at 6ft 7ins, is just one inch shorter than Koller and would therefore allow the locals to play the way they are used to while presenting the Irish centre halves with the same sort of physical challenge.

Ireland's fate, though, may effectively be decided a little farther outfield. If Lee Carsley cannot contain Tomas Rosicky the visitors may be in for a difficult night, while an extra man in central midfield for the home side would leave Reid with plenty of defending to do.

The hosts have a solid defence in front of a very good goalkeeper and their two full backs are happy to push forward. A winger who very rarely scores and is a very inconsistent crosser of the ball, Kevin Kilbane would not be joining Paul McGrath in fourth place on the list of the Republic's most capped senior players on 83 were it not for his well established willingness to mix it defensively when the situation requires it.

Staunton's decision to stick with Aiden McGeady may end up looking rash, however, if the young Celtic winger does not contribute more when Ireland are on the back foot this evening.

After 20 years of waiting for a big away win, there could yet be a fairytale in store for the Irish, with Keane, perhaps, even scoring his first away qualifier in six years to earn what would be an unforgettable win.

The odds, though, remain stacked against it. Far from providing welcome clarification of the team's requirements tonight, Slovakia's late equaliser has left Staunton's men needing the three points a little too much and that is not a good position from which to tackle a game like this.

The Irish wish list is unpromisingly long. They need, among other things, Reid to justify the furore over his exclusion on Saturday, the likes of Shay Given and Richard Dunne to be outstanding again, Keane to be far more involved and O'Shea to retain his focus for the whole game.

If the Irish tick all those boxes and the Czechs have a poor night then they're in with a shout, though if Staunton thinks his side fared poorly with the Italian referee on Saturday, and he does, he should prepare himself for a potentially more frustrating encounter with tonight's Greek match official Kyros Vassaras. He you may recall, is the man who, among other things, sent Andy O'Brien off in Ireland's 2-2 draw with Israel a couple of years back.

Now there's a good omen.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:Given (Newcastle Utd); O'Shea (Manchester Und), Dunne (Manchester City), McShane (Sunderland), Kelly (Birmingham City); McGeady (Celtic), Reid (Charlton Ath), Carsley (Everton), Kilbane (Wigan Ath); Doyle (Reading), Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).

CZECH REPUBLIC (probable):Cech (Chelsea); Ujfalusi (Fiorentina), Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Rozehnal (Newcastle Utd), Jankulovski (Milan); Jarolim (Hamburg), Rosicky (Arsenal), Galasek (Nuremberg), Polak (Anderlecht), Plasil (Monaco); Baros (Lyon).