The second last-chance saloon for Ireland

Time was when the prospect of taking on the Netherlands would have really set Irish pulses racing at the sheer world-beating glamour of it all, inspiring reverential and perhaps even fearful murmurings among the natives about Dutch masters like Gullit, Van Basten, Bergkamp, Kluivert, Overmars, and, yes, perhaps even a certain Mr Van Gaal.

But yesterday’s pre-match press conference with Martin O’Neill was notable for the almost complete absence of questions about tonight’s opposition at the Aviva, with none in the media seeming overly concerned about how the manager might be plotting to contain the likes of Memphis Depay or, after a long absence from the Oranje, the returning Kevin Strootman.

And understandably so, for the fact is there’s more than a hint of role reversal about this fixture, with the Irish the ones accelerating towards the looming Euros finals, while the Dutch — after a shockingly bad qualification campaign saw them miss out on France 2016 — find themselves cast in an unaccustomed supporting role, consigned to embarking on a protracted build-up to the next World Cup campaign