Eight steps forward one step back; Stephen Kenny has the chance to get his side right back on the road to redemption just four days after the shock defeat to Armenia.
Fifteen months on from the awful home loss to Luxembourg, in what many thought would be a fatal blow to the emerging Ireland manager, Kenny received a timely wake-up call in relation to the perils of international management, as his side's eight-game unbeaten record was chalked off thanks to a 35-yard thunderbolt from the blue in Yerevan.
Complacency, over-confidence, perhaps, with a touch of end-of-season fatigue thrown in, however, all is not lost – as it was following the Luxembourg defeat in relation to World Cup qualification – with this set-back coming at the very start of the Nations League campaign.
The manager had been talking about winning the group in order to take something tangible from the long wait for Euro 2024 qualification to commence, however, in truth, is it really going to matter to the regular Irish football fan?
A Nations League win or two from a six-game schedule would probably please most, considering Ireland had gone ten games without a victory in the competition ahead of the Armenian acquiescence.
Kenny’s confidence was, as it happens, justified considering the turnaround in the team’s fortunes over the past 12 months, proving itself both difficult to beat and play against, while also making amends with the goalscoring Gods – 23 in 12 months – when compared to the one-goal return from the manager’s first eight games in charge.
And it is no surprise that Kenny is looking to those recent performances to help prepare his side for tonight’s game, calling the Portugal match "a good template" for the visit of Ukraine.
The travelling Ukraine squad are playing their third game in a week having beaten Scotland in their World Cup play-off, only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat to Wales in Sunday's decider.
Disappointed not to be going to the showpiece tournament in Qatar at the end of the year, yet the players are immensely proud to bring a modicum or relief and a welcome distraction to their compatriots, who remain in the line of fire of Russia's aggression.
The Nations League encounter with Ireland, while not on a par with a World Cup decider, will once again prove a welcome tonic for those watching back home, not to mention the displaced diaspora around the rest of the continent.
A large Ukrainian presence is expected inside the stadium and while the players are probably running on empty, as the emotional and physical rollercoaster continues to rattle along, they will be determined to bring their very best as they take on Kenny’s team.
Ireland had enough chances to win in Armenia and Kenny was happy with the set-piece return in terms of "first contacts", but he did accept that his side were not creative enough, especially in the final stages of the game after the hosts took the lead.
While he is loath to make "wholesale changes", Kenny will need to establish where the creativity is going to come from, playing against a technically superior side.
Eight attacking players were named by the manager in the 27-man squad for this four-game international window, bringing a range of attributes into that vital final third of the pitch.
However, the squad still appears to be lacking someone who has the ability to unlock defences to create goalscoring opportunities.
In truth, there is no one at the required level to replace one of the existing squad players with the likes of Shamrock Rovers’ Jack Byrne, and Connor Ronan, who impressed at St Mirren last season, a bit down the pecking order. The Will Smallbone bandwagon is moving up through the gears as the manager had to bat a couple of questions away about his possible inclusion before the window closes.
Jeff Hendrick, of course, can play those passes, however, the two-man midfield is perhaps preventing him from getting into the required advanced positions.
Pace and possession appear to be the preferred route to goal in the absence of a natural playmaker, but things just did not work in that department on Saturday.
The trio of Troy Parrott, Callum Robinson, and Chiedozie Ogbene brought energy into that area, but there was a lot of switching in and out, and the right formula was never found.
There will now be a question mark as to whether Robinson and Parrott can feature in the same side, with both players having a penchant for working in off the left flank, however, Ogbene is one player who appears undroppable at the moment.
The energy, enthusiasm and endeavour that the former Cork City man brings to the team is infectious and he appears to be involved in everything that is good in Stephen Kenny’s side, even in the dismal defeat in Armenia.
"Chiedozie has been in great form in the position that he has played in the front three," said Kenny. "Consistently he has been one of our better players over the last number of games.
"He gives us pace in the final third, and gives us a real cutting edge to our play."
Kenny will have to consider starting a natural striker like Michael Obafemi to sit on the last man throughout, or a target man like Scott Hogan or Will Keane to try to get the ball to stick a bit more in and around the box, which would complement the endless running of Ogbene.
Ogbene’s pace should also prove even more effective against a side like Ukraine, who will be more inclined to take the game to Ireland, leaving more space in behind, and thankfully the manager does not appear tempted to slot the Rotherham man into the position he plays with his club in Seamus Coleman’s absence.
"We find that he is more effective in a front three for us," said the manager, when asked whether he considered playing Ogbene in the right wing-back position against Ukraine – Cyrus Christie looks set to fill that particular spot.
Shane Duffy came out for media duties on Tuesday, which can often indicate who might captain the side the following day, and should that be the case, it may mean that John Egan is rested.
That would allow either Darragh Lenihan or Ryan Manning to slot into the three-man defence along with Nathan Collins, while James McClean will surely start in place of Enda Stevens, who has not played a lot of football in recent months.
The manager heaped praise on the Ukraine midfield and the vast options that they were in possession of in that department, and he will need energy in the middle, especially if they go with a three in the centre of the pitch.
Jeff Hendrick and Josh Cullen will surely go again, provided that they are feeling fine following the Yerevan misadventure, and expect the wing-backs to play on the inside a bit more to give a dig out to the central starters.
With that in mind, Manning could have the edge over Lenihan if there is to be a change in that three-man defence, as the Galway man can also add an attacking edge from that left-sided position.
Gavin Bazunu has returned to his club and it appears a done deal to hand Caoimhin Kelleher the gloves in his absence, such is his capability combined with the form that he has shown at Liverpool this season.
However, question marks may start to arise around Kelleher’s positioning, as he was, once again, beaten from distance, having been caught a little cold for Belgium’s first goal in March.
Mark Travers has barely been part of the international conversation since that tough night in Serbia, when he was caught out of position for Aleksandar Mitrovic’s exquisite lobbed effort.
The Bournemouth keeper shows up every time for international duty, despite being unfairly seen as the third wheel in the Bazunu-Kelleher stand-off, and following the season he has just had at club level, helping his side back to the Premier League, he is perhaps closer to another shot at the number one jersey than many might consider to be the case.
But whatever team in green is sent out for tonight’s game, it will no doubt prove a most memorable occasion with football taking a back seat, as the Irish fans will get an opportunity to send their best wishes to Ukraine in these troubled times.
The result itself will really pale into insignificance when compared to the bigger picture facing Ukraine in the future, so if 11 becomes 12, in terms of Nations League games without a win for Ireland, it is fair to say that the nation will cope.
There’s always Scotland on Saturday.
Follow Republic of Ireland v Ukraine (Wednesday, 7.45pm) via our live blog on rte.ie/sport or on the RTÉ News app. Watch live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player commencing at 7pm, with live radio coverage on 2fm's Game On, from 6pm.
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