Cunningham eager for double success

Republic of Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham has stressed the desire among his team-mates to put together back-to-back victories in Dublin this week and take a big step towards qualification for next summer’s European Championship.

Although it looks unlikely on paper, if results went their way then the Irish could find themselves on top of Group 10 on Wednesday evening – and with the way this group has gone so far, nothing is impossible.

Ireland face Albania this afternoon and Georgia on Wednesday, and two wins at Lansdowne Road would take them to 10 points. If Switzerland draw at home to Russia today and then lose at home to Albania on Wednesday, Brian Kerr’s men will find themselves a point clear of the Swiss and back in the driving seat for qualification for Portugal.

It is the stuff that dreams of made of, and in reality the Irish would settle for finishing second in the group and a play-off following their disastrous start to the campaign last year.

But, having tasted the highs of appearing in last summer’s World Cup finals, Cunningham and company are hungry for more big championship action.

“We have got ourselves back in a position in the group where potentially we can now qualify,” said Cunningham.

“Having experienced the World Cup last year, everyone is desperate to go to Portugal next summer, and for this group of players it would be a great achievement to qualify for a European Championship off the back of the World Cup - it would be something to be proud of.

“We are not there yet but two positive results in the next few days puts us in a great position.

“I wouldn’t call Albania a ’must-win’ game because of the way the group has gone to and fro, but the players are aware that if we can put back-to-back victories together it will put us in a strong position.

“It is going to be difficult to go out and get the result, but at home, in front of our own supporters, traditionally we have risen to the occasion, and I hope we can put in one of our better performances in front of the Lansdowne Road crowd.

“These games have been looming for some time and as soon as the domestic season was over all the players were focused on these games.

“Your fitness levels do drop very slightly following the end of the season but we have trained hard and got them back. Everybody is ready, everybody is prepared and we are looking forward to the game.”

Ireland boss Kerr is expecting Albania to show his team a little more respect than during the goalless draw in Tirana in April, but he might be in for something of a surprise.

He said: “I am sure they will pay us a certain amount of respect and wont go for it ’hell for leather’ as they did in Tirana. I imagine they will expect us to put pressure on them, and I expect us to because we are the home team.”

But in response to that, Albania coach Hans-Pieter Briegel, the former Germany international, said: “We have not come here to play a defensive match, we are going to play our own game and attack Ireland.

“It would be a dream for us to finish second in the group – and maybe it can happen.”