Victory over fancied Pakistan a must

IRELAND aim to defeat tournament favourites Pakistan in this morning's Hockey World Cup qualifiers, to keep alive their hopes of making the finals in Germany, in September.

Preposterous as it may seem in soccer terms an Irish win tomorrow would be the equivalent of Ireland beating Brazil to qualify for the soccer World Cup but that is the challenge for Dave Passmore's side, who regroup after dreadfully disappointing performances against Belgium and Egypt.

Depending on results, a draw may or may not be enough to get Ireland into the 5th to 8th place cross-over games.