Smith eager to come back for seconds

SOCCER: A lot of pressure now, Gerry - how are you coping? "How do I look?" Like you're hanging in there. "Exactly, that's how I'm coping - hanging in there. I'm grand. But I'll be grander still if we get what we want from the Mexico game, and there'll be some party if we do."

Rep of Ireland v Mexico Al-Ain, 4.30 On TV: Eurosport

Today's the day, then, although all going well against Mexico in the decisive Group E fixture (4.30 Irish time) there'll be more days in the United Arab Emirates for Gerry Smith's young team.

Their hopes of reaching the second round of the World Youth Cup were further enhanced last night by the results in Groups B and C - Argentina's defeat of Mali and Canada's win over the Czech Republic means the third-placed teams in both those groups have finished on three points, one less than Ireland's current total (the four best third-placed teams in the six groups go through to the second round). Therefore, if Saudi Arabia fail to beat the Ivory Coast in the first of today's Group E games Ireland will go through to the last 16, regardless of the Mexico result.

Mexico must win to have any chance of staying in the championship, after taking just one point from their opening two games, and judging by their demeanour around the team hotel yesterday their morale is as low as their results suggest. It's all or nothing, though, for them tonight, making them, potentially, very dangerous opponents.

Smith has a full squad to select from - Stephen Capper (dead leg), Willo Flood (bruised hip) and John Fitzgerald (bruised ribs) are all fit - but, again, has been keeping his likely line-up to himself. He did hint at changes to the team which started against the Ivory Coast.

"For a lot of them the Mexico game would be their third in a week, so maybe we'll freshen it up again. I honestly haven't decided yet."

The four players as yet unused by Smith - Seán Dillon, Keith Fahey, Michael Foley and goalkeeper Brian Murphy - will hope their freshness will tempt the manager, while Graham Ward, Liam Kearney and Kevin Doyle await their first starts.

As joint top scorer in the tournament, on three goals with Argentina's Leandro Fernandez and the Ivory Coast's Arouna Kone (two of whose goals came from penalties), Stephen Elliott should have few fears about his place in the starting line-up, but waits to see who Smith chooses to play alongside him - Eamon Zayed, Jonathon Daly and Kevin Doyle are the options.

Set-pieces, against a Mexican defence that has looked vulnerable, may prove profitable. Daly is taller, the Irish camp has noted, than any member of the Mexican squad, so could regain his place from Zayed.

Mexico will be without their holding midfielder, Oscar Zea, suspended after picking up two yellow cards, but forward Aldo de Nigris, the player who has impressed the Irish camp most, is available.

"They're a very good side, they play quick, intricate stuff and they have to get something from the game, so I don't think they'll be standing back. But we're ready for that challenge. They have good passers of the ball, tricky fellas, too, but so have we. As I keep saying, I'm not overplaying any team because we're not bad ourselves," said Smith.

"By 8.30 (after the Saudi Arabia v Ivory Coast game) we'll have a fair idea of what we need, but we don't want to look too closely at all that, we just want to focus on the job in hand, getting something from the Mexico game.

"The objective was to win the group, but at this stage we'll take anything and go anywhere," said the manager when asked if he would he prefer to stay in Al-Ain, where the group winners play their next match on Tuesday, rather than upping camp and moving to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for a Monday game.

He doesn't mind which, so long as it's not Dublin this weekend.