France will be clear favourites in Tallaght tonight but former Republic of Ireland international Rachel Graham believes the Girls in Green can look to probe any inkling of self-doubt within the visitors' ranks.
Carla Ward's side open their 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying campaign against Les Bleus before facing the Netherlands on Saturday (both live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
Unlike the Dutch, France have never won a major tournament, routinely falling short despite high expectations.
At the European Championships last summer, they impressed in the group stage before being foiled by Germany in the quarter-finals.
The Germans also got the better of them over two legs in the subsequent Nations League semi-finals.
Ireland also have recent experience of beating the French as they did at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in July 2024.
That being said, the Girls in Green will still be heavy underdogs tonight. But they could find an edge in the psychological battle, according to Shelbourne midfielder Graham.
"We always speak them being a really top nation, one of the best teams in the world. But they don't really ever win anything," she said on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
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"And they're not even really getting to finals either. So there is that something, maybe it's a belief that's lacking."
Amid reports of injuries within the French squad, Graham believes that could alter their mood music which could give Ireland something to latch onto if they can keep the game tight.
"That might start creeping in where they start having little bits of doubt if they're already low on belief," she added.
"And last time they came here, they lost the game so that could also be in their minds.
"If it is a belief thing, then you play on that and keep yourself in the game as long as you can and play on that and they'll start to maybe doubt themselves.
"Doubt might creep in, they might start getting frustrated, doing silly things.
"But for all the players that (France) have and how good they are, they're probably not a team that are doing as well as they should be.
"But on the flipside of that, we're talking about they're only getting to the quarter-finals of a Euros and we aren't even getting there."
Watch Republic of Ireland v France in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on an extended Inside Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
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Watch Netherlands v Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying on Saturday from 7.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
