Ireland have no fresh injury concerns for tomorrow’s must-win clash against Netherlands at Aviva Stadium.
At the halfway point of the campaign, Ireland’s four matches have accrued three points – those coming against minnows Gibraltar – with two of the four remaining games against the top-seeded Dutch.
Netherlands endured a rocky first half of the year under returning boss Ronald Koeman, losing three of their first four games, including a 4-0 walloping by the French.
However, the latest evidence of their revival came on Thursday when they resoundingly won 3-0 against a Greek side that beat Ireland in June.
Stephen Kenny, who referred to his side as an emerging team, lost Enda Stevens and Will Keane to injury after the latest defeat to France but everyone else is deemed fit.
“We know a victory is important for us,” said the Ireland boss. “We've to ensure we're ready. The players are clear on how we're going to play and we'll certainly be tested against this team. We'll have to match them, we are capable of doing that, we have to show the belief and conviction to try and get the result we need.
“Holland have a lot of good individual players and they are formulating a team now. Greece are a good team and they emphatically beat them, leading 3-0 at half time.
“We are going to have to put in the performance of our lives and we're determined to do that. Of course we need goals in the team, we need to match Holland right throughout and be aggressive in this game and also be composed in the cauldron of the Aviva, be composed under pressure."
Kenny reiterated his desire for the sell-out crowd to play their path in achieving the best result of his three-year reign.
“We’ll need that support to be high-octane to give our team energy.
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