Stephen Kenny needs at least one victory to revive Ireland's campaign

Two nations armed with world-class artillery are primed at precisely the worst time for Kenny to finally deliver a big result on the international stage

TRICKY TASK: Festy Ebosele during a Republic of Ireland training session at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

A beaming sun projecting rays onto the Abbotstown training pitch on Monday contrasted with the sense of darkness feared about what the next six days could condemn Ireland and their manager to.

These pair of matches against the top seeds of the group, France on Thursday and Netherlands on Sunday, were circled after last October’s draw for the European qualifiers as a pair with error margin factored in.