Stephen Kenny: ‘We must have the courage to play out, we must not be fearful. We have to play with intelligence.’

Sean O’Connor reports from the Aviva Stadium

While hopes of Irish qualification were extinguished long ago, Thursday’s clash against Portugal is a chance for Stephen Kenny’s emerging side to continue their positive momentum, following recent performances that have enthralled the Ireland faithful.

The Boys in Green will take a lot of encouragement from their last meeting against Portugal, as they led for 89 minutes. John Egan’s first half header gave his side the lead before a late brace from Cristiano Ronaldo denied Ireland a famous victory. Despite the heartbreak, many Irish supporters called it their best away performance for years. 

The Republi of Ireland will be boosted by the return of captain Seamus Coleman following a hamstring injury. Jason Knight is back to full fitness too, while Alan Browne returns from suspension. Kenny said that Jayson Molumby is out with a tweaked hamstring, while Andrew Omobamidele will undergo a late fitness test after picking up an Achilles injury.

Kenny spoke to the media at the Aviva stadium ahead of his side’s blockbuster clash against the Portuguese.

“Portugal are a world class team,” Kenny said. “They’re the previous European champions and Nations League holders. But we're at home. We have a lot of good players. We can see the team evolving in front of your eyes every game we play. We can see the improvement and we’re excited for the game.”

Ireland will take to the pitch in front of a full capacity Aviva stadium for the first time in two years. In that last game in front of a full house, Matt Doherty nicked a late equaliser against Denmark, as Mick McCarthy’s side booked a Euro 2020 play-off spot.

Reflecting on having the full support back at Lansdowne Road, Kenny said “14 months ago was my first match and we had a year of empty stadiums.

“It's a bit soulless when it's empty like that. 52,000 for this game is amazing. It’s the first game since the restrictions were lifted. We’re very enthused by that and the players are motivated by that. They deserve to feel the affection of the support because they’ve shown their talent in the last couple of windows. I feel that connection between the team and the support. We want that to continue to grow.

“We’ve trained very well, and the players have applied themselves brilliantly. Their attitude has been absolutely excellent. We know that Portugal have quality in every position, so we’re going to have to really play above ourselves to get the level of performance we require. We have play to our absolute full potential. We must strive to do that. 

That said, Kenny was also adamant that his players wouldn't be overawed by the occasion. “It's important we bring calm and a level of composure to our play,” he added.

“Sometimes when that happens people expect you to get forward quicker, we need to have that element of calm, it's very important.

“Portugal will press us high, but regardless we must have the courage to play out, we must not be fearful. We have to play with intelligence and try get some sort of control on the game to get a cutting edge. But we have to earn the right to do that first.”

Ronaldo will be the main attraction at Lansdowne Road, and while it was his brace that denied Ireland an incredible win in September, Kenny said they won't be solely focusing on the Manchester United striker.

“Obviously he's a terrific player and had a longevity over two decades” Kenny said. 

“They have a lot of great players so we’re not really focusing on one player. Maybe it’s naive to do that but they can punish you from so many areas. Hopefully we can put in a performance that we need tomorrow night, because it'll be quite inspiring to play in front of a full house.”

With Omobamidele unlikely to play a part, Kenny may hand Burnley’s Nathan Collins his first start. “Nathan has done very well and is certainly in contention,” the Ireland boss said.

“We have three emerging players coming through in that position, which is great for our future, with Dara O’Shea, who got injured in Faro. Andrew has also been absolutely excellent for us since he made his debut. He’s looked so natural at this level which is great to see.”

When asked about Jeff Hendrick, Kenny praised the midfielder's recent performances for Ireland, “he put in an incredible shift” (versus Portugal).

“He had a good game against Serbia and brought that into the last window, where he had two really good games at Azerbaijan and got man of the match against Qatar. In the last four internationals he’s really raised his game and been very consistent.”

Another positive for the Irish camp is Portugal’s yellow card situation. Six players, including Ruben Dias and Renato Sanches  are currently one booking away from a one game suspension. If Portugal avoid defeat at the Aviva, they will require just one point against Serbia on Sunday to qualify for their eight World Cup. With this in mind, head coach Fernando Santos may be inclined to rotate some members. 

With a tight turnaround before Sunday’s final qualifier away in Luxembourg, Kenny said that he wouldn't be prioritising one over the other. “Both games are equally important,” he said. 

“Obviously all the players want to play in every game and it's only natural. We’ll pick the team we feel is right for this game. Inevitably, there can be changes for Sunday. We have seen the benefits of freshening the team up before.”

Fernando Santos: 'The most important game is against Ireland' https://t.co/LetB8w0DTppic.twitter.com/vMhBvR18wJ

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) November 10, 2021