Stephen Ward expects a full-blown English Premier League-style derby clash to break out as Ireland welcome Wales to the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
The meeting of the Celtic cousins in the Group D World Cup qualifiers brings together two squads that primarily ply their trade in the top two tiers of English football and Burnley defender Ward expects the familiarity between the two sides to create a special atmosphere at the Lansdowne Road venue.
“The atmosphere is going to be electric,” said Ward, speaking to the media after Wednesday’s training session at the FAI headquarters.
“A lot of the lads know each other well from playing at club level and it does have a bit of a derby feel. It’s one we’re really looking forward to, so roll on Friday.”
An injury-ravaged Ireland squad come up against the Euro 2016 semi-finalists who, with Gareth Bale having recovered from injury, are at full strength, knowing that victory could close the gap at the top of the table to just one point.
However, Ward remains much more focused on the advantage of playing in front of a capacity crowd in Dublin, knowing how important home form is towards qualifying for major tournaments.
Ireland were unbeaten at home in the last qualifying campaign, which included a 1-0 victory over World Cup holders Germany and Ward expects more of the same on Friday night.
“Friday is going to be a huge game, a huge atmosphere and if we can come through that and get the three points that we so dearly want then we will be in an even stronger position,” said Ward.
“The manager speaks about it a lot, your home form is massive in these campaigns. It is one of those things that gives you that platform to qualify because if you can win your home games and nick points away from home, it keeps you right up at the top.
“It’s a massive game. We have done some great work on the road off the back of a massive win in Austria and if we can back that up at home with a big win at the Aviva, it will set us up nicely for another big one in June.”
Martin O’Neill’s side find themselves in the enviable position of topping the table after the first four rounds of games, which included a hard-fought away draw in Serbia, not to mention the remarkable victory in Vienna last November.
So perhaps the Ireland side could be forgiven for opting for a share of the spoils with Chris Coleman’s Wales on Friday?
The manager, however, spoke previously about not being able to set his team up for a draw and Ward also feels that it would be disappointing to drop points at home.
“We are always disappointed dropping any points, but especially at the Aviva," he said.
“Things can change very quickly in these groups. I think most importantly, we need to approach the game and try to get the three points, because it would be massive for us.
“It would be a nice cushion to have over a good side like them at the halfway point in the group, but I don’t think that we really concentrate on other teams.
“We know the rewards if we can win the game and if we do get the three points, which we’re gong out there to do, we’ll put ourselves in a really strong position for the second half of the group.”
Both sides impressed at the summer championships with Wales surpassing all levels of expectation, reaching the last four of the tournament, however, Ward indicated that perhaps the Irish squad has benefitted more from the experiences in France.
“Wales obviously finished on a high having got to the semi-finals and sometimes it can be difficult to keep those standards so high because that was an unbelievable achievement from them,” said the former Bohemians man.
“From our point of view, we have taken a lot of confidence, especially the younger lads, and even the experienced lads have grown as players and I think that has shown in how we have started this campaign.
“We can only concentrate on ourselves and how we feel after the Euros.
“We feel we can go into any game now with the confidence to win.
“I think we have got a great mix in this squad of younger lads along with lads who have been there and done it, so it is really positive and we have given ourselves a great platform to push on in this group.
“And hopefully we can continue the success we have had at the start of the campaign on Friday night.”
Ward is adamant that the Irish are trying not to concern themselves with permutations and expectations of the other teams in the group and while he does not think that an Irish win would eliminate Wales from the proceedings – seven points behind with five games to play – he is aware that a Wales victory would catapult them right back into contention.
“I’m sure they feel that it is a game that they feel they need to get something from," noted Ward.
“And we know if we don’t take maximum points, the group is right back open and Wales will be hot on our heels again.
“So it is not a significant game in terms of how the group is going to end but I think going into the second half, it can put us in a massive position.”
On a personal level, Ward looks set to come face to face with Welsh wizard Gareth Bale, who will most likely attack down both flanks on Friday night.
And Ward admits that the challenge of taking on the Real Madrid superstar will prove a step up in class from even the best players in the English Premier League.
“He’s obviously one of the best players in the world but I think that we just have to try as a unit, not to let him have time on the ball," said the Ireland full-back. "We need to get close, get tight, make it uncomfortable for him, but I’m sure there will be times in the game where he will have an effect. We just need to try to keep it to a minimum.
“He is probably a step up from everything [in the Premier League]. He is at one of the biggest clubs in the world and is playing well.
“We are going to try to try and nullify him, try to stop the service in to him and when he does get it, get as close as we can, because you cannot afford to give a player of that ability too much space and too much time as you know he will hurt you.”
Watch Republic of Ireland v Wales live on RTÉ2 from 7pm Friday, listen live on 2fm's Game On and follow our live blog on RTE.ie and the News Now app.
