The Republic of Ireland go into Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Portugal as heavy underdogs, with their qualification hopes already hanging by a thread before kick-off at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
A disheartening defeat to Armenia last time out means that Ireland are really up against it if they’re to have any chance of progressing from the group stage and, with bookmakers pricing the Boys in Green at 18/1 to win in Lisbon, hopes of an upset aren’t exactly high.
With the likes of Nelson Semedo, Matheus Nunes and Rafael Leao returning to the Portuguese squad, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, the hosts are looking to make it four wins from four and all but seal qualification for the World Cup.
Ireland, meanwhile, have handed Dundee United defender Will Ferry his first call-up while West Brom's Jayson Molumby makes a return, along with Millwall midfielder Will Smallbone, as the visitors go in search of their first win of the campaign.
The gap between the current two squads appears to be chasmic, but it wasn’t always that way and although Portugal have the upper hand in most of their meetings in recent history, Ireland have had some notable success.
A US summer friendly tournament in 1992 set the stage for the modern rivalry between the two nations with Jack Charlton’s Ireland side claiming a convincing 2-0 victory over Portugal at Foxboro Stadium.
Steve Staunton and Tommy Coyne found the net for Ireland with Staunton scoring directly from a corner kick, as they overcame a sluggish Portgual side seemingly eager to get on with their summer holidays.
Three years later and Ireland would again emerge victorious in a game of much higher stakes, but while they won the battle, it was Portugal who won the war and the Euro ’96 qualifying group.
It might be hard to imagine now but when the draw was made for the 1996 qualification campaign, Ireland were among the top seeds thanks to the success of the Charlton era, while Portugal were down in Pot 2.
Northern Ireland, Austria, Latvia and Liechtenstein rounded out what was a fiercely competitive group with little room for error.
Convincing early wins over Latvia, Liechtenstein and Northern Ireland set the stage for the first meeting between the two group favourites at Lansdowne Road and while Ireland had dropped their first points of the campaign the month before in a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland, hopes were high heading into the game.
Portugal's first visit to Dublin since 1949 was a niggly affair that veered towards spiteful with Aldridge accusing centre-back Fernando Couto of spitting on him to try and get a reaction.
Aldridge would have the last laugh on that day however as he nipped in front of Couto to chase a low cross from Staunton, and while the Irish striker didn’t get to the ball he did enough to put off Couto and goalkeeper Victor Baia, who somehow turned the ball into his own net.
That goal led to a now iconic photo of Aldridge celebrating right in the face of Couto, who looked fit to strangle him, but somehow restrained himself.
Ireland held out for a hard-fought 1-0 victory that was, in hindsight, the swansong for the Charlton era and their last major victory under the big man as they followed it up with a scoreless draw in Liechtenstein and a 3-1 home defeat against Austria.
A narrow 2-1 victory over Latvia in October meant that Ireland went into the final group game, away to Portugal, trailing their hosts by three points and still with a chance of automatic qualification.
However in torrential Lisbon rain, Ireland were played off the park and while they were able to keep the hosts scoreless for the first hour, a wonderful opening goal from Rui Costa broke their resolve and Portugal eventual ran out 3-0 winners, securing top spot and Euro qualification.
Ireland, as one of the two second-placed teams with the lowest points total, were forced into a play-off tie with the Netherlands at Anfield, the match that ended their qualification hopes and signalled the end of the Charlton era.
Portugal came to Dublin the following summer in a warm-up match for Euro ’96 and edged to a 1-0 victory thanks to Antonio Folha’s first-half goal. The sides would then go four years until meeting each other again, this time in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.
World Cup qualifying UEFA Group 2, it’s fair to say, was top heavy. With the Netherlands coming from the top seeds, Portugal from the second and Ireland from pot 3, it always looked like the results between those team would decide the group and so it proved.
Estonia, Cyprus and Andorra filled out the other places but it was tight games against the Netherlands and Portugal that decided things for Ireland.
Opening the campaign with a 2-2 draw away to the Dutch was a good result, albeit one that saw the hosts claw back a 2-0 Ireland lead. Avoiding defeat away to Portugal next would really set Ireland on their way and that was what Mick McCarthy set out to do.
With the likes of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Sa Pinto fresh from a Euro 2000 campaign that took them to the semi-finals, Portugal were favourites but a midfield marshalled by prime Roy Keane nullified them for the most part.
Sergio Conceicao's 57th-minute strike came after a spell of incessant Portuguese pressure, but a moment of magic from Matt Holland who struck from 25 yards out, earned Ireland a crucial point.
Keane was again the driving force for Ireland when the teams met at Lansdowne Road the following summer and played out another 1-1 draw that helped edge the Boys in Green closer to Japan and Korea.
The Ireland captain scored one of his scruffier goals when he snuck into the box to get on the end of Gary Kelly's throw-in on the 68th minute. Keane got a toe to the ball and stabbed it goalwards but it was the deflection off Litos which took it past the goalkeeper.
Portugal and Figo struck back however with the talismanic midfielder heading home ten minutes later to give the visitors a share of the spoils.
Both Ireland and Portugal finished the group with identical unbeaten records. Goal difference meant that the Portuguese qualified automatically for the World Cup, while Ireland had to overcome a play-off with Iran.
An international friendly in 2005 was the next time the teams would met as Andy O’Brien scored his first goal for an Ireland team that were full value for their 1-0 victory.
It would be nine years until the teams met again, this time in a summer friendly where Martin O’Neill’s side were hammered 5-1 by their Ronaldo-inspired opposition.
Stephen Kenny was in charge when the next clash between Ireland and Portugal rolled around during the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, and like much of the Kenny era, there was a slice of ill fortune in Ireland's 2-1 defeat.
John Egan headed home the game's opening goal from a Jamie McGrath corner on the stroke of half-time, after Gavin Bazunu saved an early penalty from Ronaldo.
However, just when it looked as if Ireland would hold out for a famous victory, Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in men's international football when he headed home two late goals to break Irish hearts.
Kenny was again left cursing his luck a couple of months later in the return game when Matt Doherty's injury-time strike was disallowed for an apparent foul from Will Keane on goalkeeper Rui Patricio before Doherty's shot.
Ireland had to settle for a point and a 0-0 draw, a result they probably would have taken beforehand but one that left a slightly bitter taste, given how well the Boys in Green played.
Portugal again looked to Ireland for a summer tune-up ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign as Ronaldo bagged a brace against Ireland in Aveiro last June, romping to a 3-0 victory.
That friendly defeat was John O'Shea's last of four games in charge of Ireland as interim manager but he'll be on the bench as Heimir Hallgrímsson's assistant coach for Saturday's game and hoping his side can produce a huge shock to breath some life into the qualifying campaign.
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Watch Portugal v Republic of Ireland 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 Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
