When I look at Portugal's remaining fixtures in this group after they play us today - Cyprus home and away, Andorra and Estonia - I think it's imperative that we win this game.

Holland at home in September worries me because they are a team capable of coming to Dublin and winning, considering the players they have.

With that in mind, I think we have to beat Portugal to have any realistic hope of winning the group - but I have a feeling it will be a draw.

For us to win we need massive performances from our three outstanding players - Roy Keane, Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane.

There is a like for like in the Irish team at the moment, apart from those three and arguably Mark Kinsella you could almost interchange the rest of the players without affecting the strength of the line-up too much, but to beat the likes of Portugal it's those three you want to hang your hat on.

There's no doubt about it, midfield is Portugal's strength. They have a real quality triumvirate in there of Figo, Rui Costa and Sa Pinto so we need Roy to be at his imperious best, helped by Kinsella, if they are not to dominate that area.

If we stop their midfield from playing, negate their tactics and at the same time implement our own, then we'll have a chance.

There's been a lot of talk about Ian Harte versus Figo, but it's much bigger than that. You'll find with Figo that he'll drift in from the right and interchange with Costa and Pinto so Keane and Kinsella will have to be at their best.

The loss of Kenny Cunningham is a blow because he's our best organiser in defence. At the same time, there's no doubt Fernando Couto is a big loss to the Portuguese. He's a big, strong, experienced defender and they would have expected him to look after Quinn because he's their best header of the ball.

Against teams that have real quality, the key areas for Ireland are out wide and in the last few games we've actually been quite good there. Teams aren't used to playing against the likes of Duff and Kennedy - if you watch most of the goals scored in international football nowadays they generally come through the middle.

When we get it right and get behind defences it causes these teams real problems because they're not used to playing against it. That for me is our biggest weapon and our best hope of getting a win.

I do believe that Portugal are the strongest team in the group, but I also think they're beatable - you don't look at them and think "Oh my God, it's Portugal".

I think Ireland have it in them to beat anyone at Lansdowne, it's something that's evolved under McCarthy. In the past you can imagine how it would have been after an hour, lashing it up to Quinn and fighting for the scraps but we're better than that now, much better.

I expect it to be tight. If you offered Portugal a draw now I reckon they'd take it because it would leave them very much in the box seat.

Because of that I don't think they'll come and attack all-out, they'll play on the break, have numbers in midfield and that will make it difficult for us to break them down.

It's a game then that I think we have to win, but one I have a feeling we'll draw.

In an interview with Mary Hannigan