With Ireland now in a great position as they hope to secure qualification, there's still one very big hurdle to overcome with a trip to face Poland in Warsaw.
Speaking on Off The Ball on Sunday, Kenny Cunningham looked ahead to the different challenges that face Ireland in this Polish side, as well as what the team can take out of an incredible night of football at the Aviva stadium against Germany
One of the biggest threats to the Ireland back line will be Robert Lewandowski, whose form has been outstanding both for his club side Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga as well as his national side in this qualification campaign to date.
Kenny assesses how Ireland can do their best to keep him quiet for the night, which is something that's easier said than done. "James McCarthy is going to be a very important player, he has to get around his feet...if you're too wide of your centre half and a little bit too advanced, then he's going to absolutely kill you in those areas".
While the personnel to be selected will be of importance, the formation is also key to how Ireland can impose themselves on the game, and Kenny gave his take on what the likely line-up will be.
"I'll be very surprised if we don't see the 4-5-1 formation from the very start this evening because I thought it served us very well in the second half the other evening...4-4-2 doesn't necessarily mean 'go for it' and 4-5-1 doesn't meant that we're defensive, it's the personnel that you pick in those positions, whatever system that you play, will be more of an indication".
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