Irish to hold first training in Cyprus heat

The Republic of Ireland will have their first training session on Cypriot soil today in advance of tomorrow's World Cup qualifier.

Temperatures in Nicosia for the weekend are forecast to reach the mid-thirties, but the heat is not expected to be much of a factor for the players, as the game kicks off at 9.30pm local time.

Three years ago, Ireland suffered a 5-2 away defeat to Cyprus, but assistant manager Liam Brady said that will not happen again.