The Republic of Ireland will have to show a marked improvement from their previous home games in this World Cup qualifying campaign if they are to have any chance against a Serbia side that has "so many good players", says Brian Kerr.
In previewing tonight's encounter at the Aviva Stadium, the former Republic boss is expecting Martin O'Neill to freshen his side up from that which performed so poorly last Saturday away to Georgia.
Adding to the criticism of the side's Tblisi performance, Kerr told RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland: "There was no intelligence in how the team performed on Saturday. When we had possession there seemed to be no clue as to what to do with it, other than boot it it forward towards Shane Long and hope for the best.
"As for the midfield play, well it certainly didn't mirror the midfield play of the sort of teams that Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane played in. Those Nottingham Forest and Manchester United teams were good at retaining possession, whether home or away. There was no humping the ball forward, hoping for the best and then relying on a set piece.
"That's how we played the other night. It was fairly abysmal stuff for most of the game. We have to do better than that. I'm sure there was a lot of soul searching after the game, a lot of deep thinking."
Kerr is well aware of the strengths Serbia possess and adds that we will need one of those "big performances" similar to night we beat Bosnia at home to qualify for the Euros.
"Serbia will be hard to beat because they now have so many good players and we will need to perform much better than our previous home games in this group," he said.
"Against Wales and Austria, well they were scrappy games and we got a point in each. We beat Georgia 1-0 but they dominated possession.
"We've been outplayed possession wise in all our home games so far in the group. If we sit back again, we're unlikely to get the result we need."
Echoing the calls of so many, Kerr would start Wes Hoolahan, assuming the player is fit.
"He should start. We need his creativity and ability - that is his ability to get on the ball and be available for a pass so as to bring other players into the game. We can't depend on the hoof and hope stuff. I do think Martin will make changes, he has to freshen things up."
When asked whether a home victory can be the outcome in Dublin 4, Kerr replied: "We can win but we need to be much improved from anything we've seen in our home games up to now. It's all about keeping possession, while also showing the heart and passion that you associate with Irish teams."
Watch the Republic of Ireland v Serbia live on RTÉ2, listen on RTÉ 2fm's Game On and follow the action with RTÉ Sport Online's live blog from 7pm
