Martin O'Neill has insisted the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 opener against Sweden is not a must-win encounter - and admitted he's still mulling over over his team less than 24 hours before the big kick-off .
The Stade de France will host the crunch Group E face-off with all eyes as both countries look start with what could be a tournament-defining victory.
O'Neill acknowledged the importance of the game, but stressed that a draw or defeat would not be a fatal blow to his side's ambitions of progressing to the knockout stages.
"I don't think it's a must-win," he said on Sunday evening. "It's very very important of course. It'd be great to get off to a good start.
"I'm sure that Sweden will be targeting us in the sense that they feel that if they could win this game against us it gives them a great chance, but we must feel the same way.
"It was interesting to hear comments coming from the Welsh camp. They thought that if they didn't win the first game they weren't out of it. They've given themselves a great chance but they're also saying they still have work to do and that's exactly the way I would feel about it.
"The way the competition has evolved and the way its been sorted this year I think that the by the third game you're still in it fighting for something."
With Jon Walters coming through training unscathed over the weekend and Robbie Keane also firing on all cylinders, there'll be plenty of speculation over who will start for the Irish on Monday evening.
O'Neill is relaxed about his final selection however, and said he's still considering every possible option.
"You've a team in mind. I don't think there's any harm in deliberating in certain things but I have a team in mind at the moment.
"With the players coming through - Robbie and Jon Walters in particular who were carrying injuries going into the announcement of the 23 - I think that I'm pretty pleased that they're coming through that. Both of them are naturally fit. But I don't mind deliberating still.
"Jon Walters is feeling pretty good. He doesn't have any reaction. He's feeling fine. I hope he's available for us.
"What you want to do is try to make a mark. It's just terrific to be involved. Outside the World Cup it's the second biggest tournament going. We deserve to be here so let's try and do something."
Meanwhile, O'Neill has admitted Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no longer "over-rated" as he rowed back on comments made a decade ago.
Then a television pundit, O'Neill described Ibrahimovic as "the most over-rated player on the planet", but the 64-year-old has now issued a revised opinion.
"Well 10 years ago, that might have been the case. Lots of things can happen in that time.
"I remember myself feeling for a period of time that Henrik Larsson was over-rated. After about three and a half minutes, I changed my mind.
"He's a top-class player. He's one of the best in Europe, if not the world. He's Sweden's talisman and he will be hard to keep quiet during the course of the game.
"All world-class players, regardless of how well or how closely they are marked, are able to elude things during the course of the game, and he is one of those players."
