Ireland can create history under the spotlights of Hampden Park

Scotland v Republic of Ireland

Hampden Park, 8pm – Live RTÉ Two

Distractions aplenty ahead of this World Cup playoff, the result of which will reverberate for decades.

Katie McCabe knows the drill. The Ireland skipper took every curve ball flung her way at Hampden Park and smiled, deflecting the quest for an emotional response. “This is getting deep, isn’t it? I need to go training!”

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Moments later the Arsenal winger was in her happy place as the Irish players skipped through their warm-up on a damp Glasgow evening.

The train strike had them late, caught up in rush-hour traffic. Tuesday night promises to be even more hectic as Celtic entertain Red Bull Leipzig across town in Paradise, a situation Uefa deemed acceptable; putting a career-defining women’s international up against the Champions League. Only 10,000 are expected for a chilly 8pm kickoff, but that number could swell over the day as hints of the green army emerge.

The kickoff is a major advantage for Ireland because by half time, at the latest, everyone will know whether victory sends them directly to Australia and New Zealand next summer or a pit stop in Waikato stadium is required to beat some minnow nation in an Intercontinental playoff on February 22nd. With the other playoffs, Switzerland versus Wales and Portugal versus Iceland starting at 6pm, all permutations will be complete when Swiss referee Esther Staubli blows the final whistle.

Disjointed start times and a conflict of interest over national loyalties would never happen in the men’s game.

Don’t rule out penalties either. Twice in the past week Ireland manager Vera Pauw has been asked about the spot-kick plan, and twice the response has been monosyllabic. No penalties were buried on the Hampden grass last night. “You cannot duplicate the pressure of the crowd,” reasoned the Dutch coach. “You can’t, there’s no way to do it.”

Pauw always has a plan. Her starting XI will be interesting, mainly because Ireland are running out of bodies. Lily Agg should hold midfield alongside Denise O’Sullivan, but McCabe may drift inside to help contain Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert. Megan Connolly is sorely missed. Same goes for Jess Ziu.

“They are going to be dangerous and will be looking to get into the pockets,” said McCabe. “It is obviously Pedro’s style to keep the ball and get teams moving, so they will probably be looking to do that. It will be an interesting game.”

Scotland manager Pedro Martínez Losa signed McCabe to Arsenal in 2015, so she and O’Sullivan will be ruthlessly targeted by Scottish blades, as has been the case throughout the campaign.

That theory is established now – kick the two Irish stars – so Staubli will need to be vigilant.

The other decision Pauw needs to make is between Lucy Quinn and Kyra Carusa behind lone striker Heather Payne. Carusa’s Champions League exposure for Danish side HB Køge is more valuable than playing second tier English football for Birmingham City. Quinn and possibly Shelbourne teenager Abbie Larkin offer fresh attacking options late on.

More importantly, Ireland’s ultra-experienced back three of Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell cannot lose Abigail Harrison in the blazing floodlights, as Austria did from a Cutbert inswinger last Thursday.

Equally, Scotland must be ready for Megan Campbell’s long throws.

It was supposed to be the Austrians’ time but the pressure of the all-or-nothing scenario suffocated their flow. Not going to happen to McCabe and Ireland, not after Helsinki and Gothenburg.

“We have experienced it a few times throughout the campaign, against Finland home and away, Slovakia home and away, Sweden away, they were all massive games and I think having played in those pressure games, where they are must-wins, we are used to it.”

Sweden away was more of a must-not-lose as that precious draw brings them to this moment.

“We can’t replicate what is going to happen tomorrow night but it will be similar to those pressure situations,” McCabe added. “When it comes to game day you are ready and in the zone to go out and give it 100 per cent for 90-plus minutes.”

She always does. The others have followed her and O’Sullivan’s lead, almost without fault throughout this campaign, yet genuine worries persist. Ireland were handcuffed by the Pauw system, which to be fair has worked more than it has stalled, but Slovakia and Finland both came to Tallaght with tactical trickery that Martínez Losa can reuse.

Especially those opening 30 minutes against Finland, when Ireland should have been 2-0 down. It took a video session at half time to solve the malaise.

That cannot be repeated, not with so much riding on this result. So many eyes will be trained on McCabe’s disciplined group if they reach a major tournament.

In a time when the men’s team seem incapable of making that leap, McCabe can take this moment by its scruff and create history. O’Sullivan possesses the same “manna”, as the New Zealanders might tell them next year.

IRELAND (possible): Brosnan (Everton); Fahey (Liverpool), Caldwell (Reading), Quinn (Birmingham City); Finn (Birmingham City), O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Agg (London City Lionesses), Campbell (Liverpool); Carusa (HB Køge), McCabe (Arsenal); Payne (Florida State Seminoles).

Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland).