John O’Shea insists Ireland’s initial game plan against Portugal will not change on Thursday night, irrespective of how the Armenia-Hungary game finishes earlier in the day.
Armenia (three points) host Hungary (five points) at 5pm in Yerevan before Ireland (four points) welcome Portugal (10 points) to Dublin at 7.45pm.
With the final round of games taking place on Sunday – Hungary v Ireland, Portugal v Armenia – Heimir Halgrímsson’s side will know what result is required against Portugal to keep their qualification hopes alive for that trip to Budapest.
Essentially, if Hungary beat Armenia then Ireland must either beat or draw with Portugal to still have something to play for in the last set of matches. However, O’Shea said Ireland will not abandon their plan based on the outcome of the Armenia-Hungary game.
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“Listen, it will have a significance but in terms of how we’ll approach the game, it won’t have too much initially,” said the Ireland assistant manager.
“We have to have the same concentration and discipline in our performance against a very attack-minded Portuguese team.
“We have to focus on what we have to do against Portugal to get that result we need. We’ll know a bit more information beforehand, but it’s not going to change too much initially.”
Despite what has been a largely underwhelming campaign so far, O’Shea said there remains a strong belief within the squad that qualification for the World Cup is achievable.
“You’re coming in on the back of a victory against Armenia and we took plenty of good stuff from the Portugal game away in terms of what we were looking for in certain spells of that game,” said O’Shea.
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“We wanted to make sure we had something to play for in this window; now we have. It’s Portugal at home and a massive opportunity for us, for the boys, for everybody to go get that result that we are all craving, that we feel this squad and this team can get.
“It’s a massive game, it’s a World Cup qualification game at home, against a top seed. It’s why we do it, it’s why you are in football, for these scenarios, to be facing a good opposition but also to know you can be part of a fantastic victory for your country.”
Ireland’s last landmark home victory was a 1-0 win over Germany a decade ago, when Shane Long’s goal secured a famous win for a team led from the back by O’Shea.
“This group is more than good enough to get a result like that, without a doubt. We know we have that confidence and belief in the group, whatever team is selected, whatever squad is selected. And that’s why we picked these players to play for Ireland. We have that confidence in them,” he said.
“This group will get those big results, and there’s a chance now on Thursday to get it. That’s what we have to believe and if we do that, the confidence in the whole place and the whole country goes absolutely crazy and that’s what we’re craving. That’s what everyone is craving.”
