Ogbene has 'no fear' as Ireland prepare to take on France

The conventional wisdom, led by manager Stephen Kenny, is that one big result from either Paris on Thursday or Dublin on Sunday is needed to revive hopes of reaching Germany next year.

NO FEAR: Chiedozie Ogbene has raised the expectancy levels against the teams ranked second and seventh in the world with the conviction he’s renowned for. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Chiedozie Ogbene never shirks a challenge but hitting his target of extracting four points off France and Netherlands is his most ambitious yet.

Ireland are playing catch-up on the two big guns of the Euro ’24 qualification group after losing to fourth seeds Greece in June, underlining the importance of this double-header.