Can Aiden bite hand that feeds?

IRELAND versus Russia — more than most, it’s a tricky one to call.

We might know more about Russian football than ever before but, with so many of Dick Advocaat’s players being drawn from the domestic league, there is still something of the enigmatic eastern threat about them, an unpredictability made all the more pronounced by their recent loss to Slovakia.

We know what to expect from Ireland — indeed, for the third game in a row, Giovanni Trapattoni is sticking with exactly the same starting line-up. But which Russia will show up in the Aviva Stadium?