MICK McCARTHY is grappling with a rare and, apparently, uncomfortable challenge in the approach to the Republic of Ireland's return World Cup meeting with Liechtenstein at Lansdowne Road this evening.

For the second time in 15 assignments as manager of the national team, he finds himself in charge of a side which is odds-on to win convincingly. He feels the game is not without an element of treachery, however.

Unconvinced by those who contend that Ireland merely have to turn up to win, he is taking caution to the point where he refuses to commit himself to a team selection until this afternoon. In effect, he is counselling caution against a team which in five games in the current qualifying series has conceded 30 goals and scored only twice.

Respect of that kind is not normally forthcoming for the part-time players who, in the main, make up the visiting party. But McCarthy chastened by the memories of his early years as an Ireland player is determined not to underrate the opposition.

"They'll be setting themselves targets for different stages of the game, hoping to get through the first 20 minutes without conceding a goal and building from that," he said. "It's no different from the strategy we once adopted when we played away from home and the longer they stay competitive, the more difficult it will be to break them down.

"Nobody will be more disappointed than me if we don't win well. But those who believe that the sight of a green shirt will be enough to demoralise the opposition are daft. To win the game, we've got to perform. Hopefully, we'll do that."

This will be the last game Ireland play before the FAI vote on whether to give the manager a two-year extension of his contract. That undeniably, adds to the pressure but judged from any viewpoint, Ireland should be capable of securing the 3-0 win needed to restore them to second place in the table. After all McCarthy's Ireland beat them 5-0 in the away leg last August.

Even Alfred Riedl, the Liechtenstein manager, was admitting as much after he supervised his squad's training session at Lansdowne last evening. Yet, he was careful to preface his acknowledgment of the imbalance in class with the statement that his team has improved since restricting Jack Charlton's team to a scoreless draw in Eschen two years ago.

"Our standards have improved and in our two games against Lithuania we lost narrowly each time," he said. "We know that the professional players in Ireland's team have a lot of advantages, but we defied them once and can do so again."

One of the reasons for McCarthy's reluctance to go public with his selection yesterday was the possibility of David Connolly and Mark Kennedy suffering a recurrence of the injuries which kept them out of training on Monday. Both players are confident they will be available.

Against Romania three weeks ago McCarthy chose to play only one specialist forward, David Connolly and saw his decision to nominate Gary Kelly as an additional mid-fielder amply vindicated in the team's best World Cup performance to date.

Judged on Kelly's contribution in Bucharest, it will be difficult to leave him out. Yet McCarthy risks condemnation if he chooses to go into a home game against a team of Liechtenstein's standing with just one striker.

There is, too, the question of how to accommodate Alan McLoughlin, voted as Ireland's Player of the Year in 1996, but now, in the wake of the return of Gary Kelly and Ray Houghton, far from certain of winning a place in the starting line-up.

The decision to go with a one-man strike-force in Bucharest was influence, in part, by doubts about Tony Cascarino's fitness. Judged on the bay Cascarino moved in Packie Bonner's testimonial game at the weekend, that is not an issue. Whether he gets into the team now is still a moot point, though.

If he is left out, it's possible that either Gary Kelly or Mark Kennedy will be asked to push on and support Connolly, although in Kennedy's case, that could spawn problems on the left of midfield.

After starting his international career in that position, Andy Townsend no longer has the basic attributes for it. Steve Staunton, it seems, is destined for a back-three posting and with Terry Phelan marked absent, the alternatives to Kennedy are not overly exciting.

There is, too, the special case of Jeff Kenna, the Blackburn player who was omitted from the starting line-up in Bucharest, but was then summoned from the bench to make a fine contribution.

Denis Irwin, the player whom Kenna replaced, is now out because of a groin injury, but even had the Manchester United player been available, there is evidence that he would have struggled to reclaim his place.

Two of the other big successes in Bucharest, Ken Cunningham and Ian Harte, look likely to start the game, although McCarthy will be looking for more authority in the air to eliminate one of the weaknesses in the Romanian game and again against Celtic last Sunday.

In Martin Heeb, a remarkable goalkeeper who frustrated Ireland on their first visit to the tiny principality two years ago, Liechtenstein have a significant obstacle to put in Ireland's way. However, Heeb was less intimidating when Ireland returned to Eschen last August. But on that occasion, he, like the rest of the home team, was undermined by Townsend's early goal.

McCarthy will be hoping that history repeats itself as another quick strike could soak much of the resolve from the visitors and open the way to a big home win.

The scenario he dreads is that of Heeb gaining confidence with a couple of early saves and instilling new levels of resistance in those in front of him. In that situation, it could be a long evening for the Irish team.