The Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli believes  They can do it tonight. They can win or draw.”

The Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli believes his side’s desire can result in an unexpected scoreline in Gdansk this evening.  Spain are heavily favoured to beat Ireland but Tardelli has seen this Irish side beat Italy and draw away in France, Russia, Slovakia and Bulgaria. He said: “The players understand that to stay in a big tournament they have to show huge motivation. Not all players get the chance to play in a big tournament so that has to be a positive. They can do it tonight. They can win or draw.”

Sean St Ledger, the Republic of Ireland defender, has not lost his self-belief despite his side having lost their opening  UEFA EURO 2012 Group game. The Irish need a point tonight to sustain their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals. “We have to be confident,” St Ledger said.  “Obviously it was a disappointment to have lost. We need to get a result tonight and we have no option but to believe. We know how good their squad is. We know they have quality. They need to win as much as us. But the fact they are so good does not stop us believing in ourselves.”

Ireland, meanwhile, have even better news, as Darron Gibson and veteran Richard Dunne are returning to fitness following their respective thigh and foot injuries, giving manager Giovanni Trappatoni much-needed depth in midfield and guaranteeing that an essential old head will return to the starting XI.

Starting Lineups

Trappatoni has a number of interesting selection dilemmas due to recent good individual performances from a number of players.

After a stellar season with Sunderland, James McClean surely felt disappointed to be left out of the starting XI versus Croatia, and he could add the sort of spark that the Republic lacks at the moment outside of Aiden McGeady.

Simon Cox has looked lively for the national team for some time, and after a good appearance in the opening game as a substitute, he will be pushing for a starting place as well.

However, Trappatoni is a very conservative manager, and I expect a mostly unchanged lineup consisting of:

Shay Given, John O’Shea, Sean St. Ledger, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ward, Aiden McGeady, Dave Whelan, Keith Andrews, James McClean, Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane.

Thus, La Roja should line up as follows:

Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Fernando Torres.

 

 

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