Heimir Hallgrimsson insisted that the Republic of Ireland do not need to change the approach they took in their previous World Cup qualifier against Portugal last month.
Hallgrimsson watched on as his team were beaten 1-0 by Roberto Martinez’s side at Estadio Jose Alvalade, with Ruben Neves netting the winner in the 91st minute.
It was a back-to-the-wall display, with Portugal registering an expected goals total (xG) of 2.97 from their 30 shots, six of which were on target, and their 0.1 from their two attempts.
Cristiano Ronaldo also saw his penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher in the 75th minute, with the Brentford goalkeeper making five saves during that match.
Ireland followed up that defeat with a 1–0 win over Armenia, leaving the country third in Group F and one point behind Hungary with two qualifying matches remaining.
“Our approach is not going to change. We have to play a certain style against Portugal, whether we need a win or a draw, we have to play a certain style,” Hallgrimsson said.
“We can’t go all-in against a team like Portugal. It won’t be a basketball game and we will take calculated risks if we have to score a goal later in the match.”
“We have a plan for it and the players have to be psychologically ready for this meeting.”
A win for Portugal at the Aviva Stadium seals their place at FIFA’s flagship tournament for the seventh edition in a row, and they have been influential in qualifying.
Portugal have won 15 of their last 16 major tournament qualifying matches (European Championship/World Cup), even though they drew 2-2 with Hungary last time out.
Away from home, they have won their last seven by an aggregate score of 23-2, and Hallgrimsson also expects Martinez to continue with the same style of play.
“They will probably adjust a few things as they didn’t create many scoring opportunities against us,” Hallgrimsson continued.
“They had a few shots from outside the box and a few crosses, but I think we had a bit of control over the way they attacked us.
“We can’t defend all their threats – that’s impossible – so we have to give them some areas, and then we’ll know what to expect.”
Ireland know the importance of this match and will be confident, having won three of their last five home games (D2), as many as in the previous twelve (W3 D2 L7).
However, they want to win back-to-back World Cup qualifiers in the same season for the first time since February 2009.
There is only one point difference between Ireland and Hungary in the group; a positive result is crucial for Hallgrimsson’s side as their rivals are in action against Armenia earlier on Thursday.
The two teams meet this Sunday in their final group match and Hallgrimsson does not underestimate the significance of the test against Portugal.
“This is probably the one that has the most influence, but as we said before, we will only know after the Armenian match against Hungary how much is at stake,” he added.
“Then we can answer that question again, about how much importance this match has. It may not be relevant, but we predict that we need at least a point from this match.”
“But then of course there is a World Cup attached to it. If that is the case, yes, then that is certainly the most important thing.”
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