John O'Shea: 'Quiet confidence' in Ireland camp ahead of World Cup playoff

There is a clean bill of health in the Ireland camp ahead of Thursday's World Cup playoff against Czechia in Prague

John O'Shea: “Our first training session today was almost reminding me of that cup final scenario, where everyone is wanting to get in the team." Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

There were no attempts by the Irish camp to downplay the significance of Thursday’s World Cup playoff, with assistant manager John O’Shea declaring ‘cup final’ territory.

Ireland are within two cup finals of a first World Cup qualification since 2002 and a first major tournament in a decade.