Heimir Hallgrimsson wants his side to send out a message to their Group F rivals as they open their World Cup campaign against Hungary on Saturday evening at Aviva Stadium.
The manager said that it is the perfect fixture to begin the six-game qualifying process, as it affords the team to start on the front foot, and set the pace in the short, sharp campaign that runs for just three months.
Ireland kick-off the campaign with Saturday's home game and follow it up next Tuesday with an away day in Armenia, and the manager is hoping that his side can get off to a fast start with the opening double-header.
Hallgrimsson has always spoken positively about Ireland’s chances of qualifying for next summer’s showpiece, which takes place across the continent of North America, with games taking place in Mexico, Canada and the USA.
And now that the campaign has finally arrived, following just over 12 months in the job, Hallgrimsson is still singing from the same hymn sheet, emphasising the fact that his squad are in a very good place at the moment – the 23-man selection playing regularly, in good form, while possessing several leaders throughout.
Even the loss of in-form striker Troy Parrott does not appear to have dampened Hallgrimsson’s expectations, as he believes he has plenty of attacking options, while adding Johnny Kenny from Celtic, who he sees as a like-for-like replacement.
The manager was certainly upbeat as he spoke at Tuesday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s opening encounter against Hungary, which has been confirmed as a sell-out at Aviva Stadium.
And Hallgrimsson is without any doubt, that it is the biggest game of his Republic of Ireland tenure, and perhaps a defining game, in relation to the team’s qualification hopes.
"Definitely," said Hallgrimsson. "All of the things we have been doing have been leading up to this one. And we all agree that if we could have organised how we play in this group, we probably would have done it this way, starting with Hungary at home.
"It's just a hugely important game, and I hope people will understand that and come in numbers. I know it's going to be a sell-out. And I hope the crowd that will come in will support and continue their love to the team.
"It's been fantastic, but I hope on Saturday night it's going to be magical, and get us through to winning the first game.
"I said previously in a press conference that if we win these games and get good results, everybody will be chasing us.
"If we lose against Hungary, we will be chasing until the end of the campaign. So it's a hugely important game for us."
Hallgrimsson elaborated on his reasoning behind his preference to take on Hungary in the opening game; a match widely accepted as a duel, over the course of the campaign, between the two teams vying for second place, with Portugal tipped to top.
A victory would send out a strong signal, heading into the October and November games, and Hallgrimsson spoke about the momentum that it would bring his team.
"It's for confidence, first and foremost, getting a good win," he said. "We're on the front foot, starting well.
"It really wouldn't have mattered who was the first opponent. But this is probably our biggest rival in the group if we want to qualify. So getting them at home is important and I think it's a good thing for us."
And the message for the week ahead?
Hallgrimsson will urge his side to stick to the principles of his philosophy, while stressing the importance of thoroughly thought-out tactics throughout.
"It's a lot of tactical things, of course, we like to hammer in," he said. "Our opponent is an experienced team, they've been together for a long time. Their knowledge of each other is really good, they've had the same coach for six or seven years.
"So they've been consistent in what they're doing, they've been playing big games, qualifying three times for Euro finals in a row. So we know it's going to be a really tough match.
"But I think when we look at them, if we do certain things in a correct way, so tactically we've hammered in a few things that we need to have perfect on Saturday."
The manager said that he has been impressed with how Evan Ferguson has taken to life in Serie A, playing for Roma, who have enjoyed a positive start to the season.
"It is different kind of football in Italy, congested spaces, a lot of physicality, normally Italian centre-backs don’t give you any slack," said Hallgrimsson.
"He will need to fight for every step, and this is what I have seen from him. He is much sharper, quicker too, to move easier, he looks leaner.
"And it is no wonder, they have been training two times a day and that is new for him. So it is affecting him in a positive way and hopefully, he can transfer his fitness into our games as well, but most of all, he is enjoying it, loving the game-time he is getting and enjoying the trust he is getting.
"So I just hope that he can show us and know he will want to show us his best come Saturday."
Hallgrimsson also offered his condolences to Ferguson’s family, following the death of the striker’s grandfather.
"The funeral is on Wednesday so obviously he will attend that. Whatever he is missing we will compensate for that. Our thoughts are with him."
Regarding the game on Saturday, Hallgrimsson hinted that he had a preferred starting XI in mind, however, he stressed the importance of training this week as players get one final chance to push for inclusion.
"Yeah, I might change," he said, when asked did he know his starting side. "We have a lot of equal players and what fits Hungary, we think we have it in our mind, but it is still some thoughts about what fits better, does this player fit better, and we will see over the next couple of days who is giving the best performance in training."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Hungary in World Cup qualifying on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
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