Martin O’Neill: Scotland game is not make or break

It’s being billed in many quarters as a make or break 90 minutes in Ireland’s quest to make it to France in 2016 but whether his team wins, loses or draws against Scotland on Saturday, Martin O’Neill maintains the result of this one game won’t define the final outcome of the qualifying race.

“Of course it’s very important, absolutely,” he acknowledges. “If Scotland beat us then there’s a gap of five points and, with four games left, that might be hard to pull back, particularly if by the time that we finish, Poland and Germany have won.

“Let us not minimise the importance of the game. Do I think that if we win the game that’s it, it’s all guns blazing? Not at all, we’ve games still to negotiate. And if there’s no result in the game does that mean it’s the status quo? No, advantage Scotland still because they’ve now played us and that particular challenge is gone. So it’s up to us to win. No, please, I’m not minimising the importance of the game.”