Kenny hoping for an 'historic away win' in a game Poyet believes it's must win for both sides

Stephen Kenny will be hoping his Irish side will have the Greek Gods looking favourably in them as they face Greece in what Gus Poyet deems as a must win game for both sides. 

GREEK MAGIC: Stephen Kenny is hoping for an historic away win for his Irish side when they take on Greece.  Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

In his desperate search for a first away victory he’ll categorise as historic, Stephen Kenny will rely on the Greek Gods to smile on him in Athens.

A measly four wins from his 22 competitive matches since becoming Ireland manager three years amplifies the pressure on his shoulders to avoid a slip-up against Greece.

Logic decrees he cannot afford to. Both of Kenny’s first two campaigns, the World Cup and Nations League, saw Ireland out of contention by losing the first two games. There was no shame in losing to France in the Euro 2024 campaign opener but there certainly will, should a side seeded beneath in the draw turn them over in the same way Luxembourg and Armenia did.

Kenny is unquestionably a manager learning on the job and maybe it was the wounds from those defeats to minnows that cautions him against recognising, publicly at least, the presence of jeopardy at stake during proceedings tonight at the Agia Sophia Stadium.

Here’s his reaction when it was put to him at his pre-match press conference that this was a must-win fixture. “From our point of view, we are looking forward to the game,” he said, devoid of his usual emotion and enthusiasm around these occasions.

“It’s the first competitive game at the stadium, a full house, you want to be involved in games like that.

“We are looking for that historic away win, that’s our objective, that’s what we want.

“Greece have an excellent home record, are in good form and we respect that.

“Nothing will be easy. We will have to fight for everything and it's only the second game of the group for us so I don’t think anything is decided so early but it is certainly going to be important for both teams.” 

Contrast the lethargic stance against that of Gus Poyet, the former Chelsea legend in charge of the hosts. They are fourth seeds in Group B, it should be noted.

“The reality for both of us is if we don’t win tomorrow, it’s going to be very difficult to be able to finish second,” said Poyet, attaching eliminator status to the showdown.

“I think it’s a must-win for both of us. That brings a special situation for the game so early in the group unless you go and beat France and Holland.” 

Poyet could even confess their guaranteed entry into the playoff series next March bestows a liberal approach in this tilt at ending their decade-long wait for a major tournament.

"Not to put pressure on Ireland myself but I will say that we have a back-up,” he said of the parachute that the Boys in Green won’t know they share until the qualification series concludes in November.

"We have the possibility of another way, and that will give us the freedom to play a little more, to get forward and win the game but there is no drama if we lose the game because we have the other opportunity.

"Sometimes when you play with the points – 'We might win this game, we might draw here’ – but where we are now, we can play every game to win.” 

Where Greece overly commit, Ireland must exploit. The full-house Kenny spoke of was erroneous – “I must have been misinformed”, he said when updated on the latest prediction of a 10,000 turnout.

Humidity in the air but unlikely to be heat from the locals, as the Irish portion equates to over a quarter of that figure.

“We will need a big crowd but the Irish, over in the corner section, will make lots of noise,” decried Poyet in a plea for public buy-in.

Of more concern to him must be the threat of Evan Ferguson, a cut above anyone else on the pitch when it comes to profile.

“He is at the right club for sure,” said Poyet about the Seagulls, one of his previous outfits to manage.

“I always say that when a player is able to perform at the level he has in the Premier League at his age, then he is a special player. Normally when you are at a club you see potential in certain players and you are thinking about putting him in but you are always worried as a coach whether he is going to be able to deal with the power and the intensity, yet he has been incredible. He will work our defenders, who must give him plenty of attention.” 

That an 18-year-old dominated the pre-match musings of both managers is understandable when they are so similarly ranked.

“I don’t feel any pressure about Evan,” Kenny replied when Beatlemania comparisons were made. “On recent form, he’s in the team on merit and has been our best forward for sure.

“To score on his first start against Latvia in his first game can only give him confidence. He’s a brilliant addition for us.” 

That’s not Greek mythology. Kenny can thank the heavens that he has Evan for his 90 minutes of need.