Internationals / Daniel McDonnell / 14 October 2009 /

Ireland may have made the play-offs but they should still have enough to get past Montenegro

There are many sides who are playing for nothing more than pride, so for big guns and lesser lights alike Wednesday night's fixtures offer the opportunity to give experience to those players who have been on the sidelines earlier in the campaign.

Certainly, the meeting of Ireland and Montenegro at Croke Park comes firmly under that category.

Ireland are assured of second place in Group Eight regardless of what happens and already the countdown is beginning to next Monday's play-off draw in Zurich. Barring an odd series of results, the Irish know that their possible seeded opponents are Portugal, Greece, France and Russia. For what it's worth, the Irish camp want Greece and don't want France but that's next week's business.

In the short term, the aim is to finish on a high against Montenegro although avoiding silly suspensions and injuries is of slightly higher importance.

Giovanni Trapattoni has decided to rest Keith Andrews and Aiden McGeady because they are one yellow card away from a ban. He will start Shay Given, who is on the same threshold, but only because he is a goalkeeper and trusts he can stay out of difficulty; the Man City man is set to win his 100th cap and the Italian is also aware of the deep personal significance.

He is also considering using Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle and John O'Shea sparingly, an indication that his mind is already elsewhere. So are Ireland vulnerable? Yes, but the firm belief is that they should be capable of winning this game anyway.

Why? Because Montenegro have difficulties of their own. Their two best players are absent with established star Mirko Vucinic injured and rising superpower Stevan Jovetic (the 'Montenegrin Messi') banned after receiving his second caution in their 2-1 win over Georgia last Saturday.

Shorn of their creative talents, Europe's newest nation are in difficulty. A 4-1 thrashing on the road in Bulgaria last month highlighted their defensive deficiencies.

Ireland may have a weak central midfield tomorrow with Martin Rowlands and Liam Miller in situ but Damien Duff's comeback from a calf problem and the likelihood of Stephen Hunt replacing Liam Lawrence emphasises the options Trapattoni has in wide areas.

With a strong side likely to be selected for the first half at least, expect the hosts to take the lead for the seventh time in their ten Group Eight matches. There will be substitutions made after the break but Trap can only make a maximum of three considering it's a competitive match so he is unable to dabble too much. It would be extremely surprising if those selected take their foot off the pedal after the fine achievement in drawing 2-2 with Italy last Saturday. Therefore, they can press home their superiority to finish the group proper on a high. A goal in each half is the call.

Best Bets:

Ireland to beat Montenegro @ [1.64]
Ireland 2 Montenegro 0 @ [8.6]
Ireland/Ireland Half Time/Full Time @ [2.6]
First Goal 11-20 minutes @ [5.5]
First Goalscorer Stephen Hunt @ [13.0]

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