Grant determined to see off Irish

Israel coach Avraham Grant has warned Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr he will stop at nothing to ensure his nation’s World Cup dream is not extinguished.

The Israelis are the dark horse of Group Four after posting an unbeaten six-game start to their campaign which sees them lie second on goal difference to France.

Grant’s side stunned Ireland when the teams last met towards the end of March in Tel Aviv, with Abas Suan scoring an injury-time equaliser to cancel out a lead the Republic had held since the fourth minute.

Israel followed that up four days later by coming from behind again to secure another late home point, this time to the French, with former Wimbledon midfielder Walid Badir scoring seven minutes from time.

The scene now switches to Lansdowne Road this Saturday, and a vital game for both teams if they are to reach Germany for next summer’s finals.

Grant, who on Monday flew out with a 21-man squad and initially heads to a training camp near Colchester for a couple of days before travelling onto Dublin on Thursday, believes his side can achieve their goal.

“Just over a year ago, I was in Dublin with the rest of the team representatives to determine the fixtures in our group,” said Grant.

“No one, including the Irish, would have believed we would return with an unbeaten record after six matches.

“My boys have created something that has made a lot of people very proud and has changed the way in which we are related to in Europe.

“Over the past few games, we feel as if we are still in a dream and will do anything to make sure that this feeling continues. We want to keep the dream alive and maintain ourunbeaten record in the group.”

But Grant, who had Ireland watched during Sunday’s 1-0 warm-up victory over Celtic at Parkhead for Jackie McNamara’s testimonial, is without two key players in Badir and Bolton’s Tal Ben-Haim through suspension.

Although appreciably unhappy at that, Grant knows Kerr is in the same boat as Roy Keane and Stephen Carr also serve one-match bans.

“We are still facing the same strong team that we lined up against on March 26 when we held them to a 1-1 draw,” added Grant.

“The major difference is they will be playing at home where they haven’t lost a match for a long time and they have only been beaten once over an eight-year period.

“Of course, I would have wanted to have both Walid and Tal, whose contribution was pivotal in the game in Tel Aviv.

“But what choice have I got? We have to find replacements, and so will my Irish counterpart, Brian Kerr, who is missing Roy Keane and Stephen Carr.”

Grant has also dismissed the impact a fervent, sell-out crowd will have on the game, and instead believes it is Ireland who will feel the weight of expectation.

“Some of the players are used to playing in front of such crowds and I don’t think it will cause us any problems,” maintained Grant.

“The Irish will enjoy the support, but at the same time it could put them under pressure.”