HAVING JUST seen at first hand how the Irish coped with one of the finalists from the last World Cup, Marco Tardelli is hoping the Republic can avoid the team that Italy beat in Berlin to lift the title three years ago when the draw is made next Monday in Zurich.

“For me, I think I’d prefer if it is Greece,” said Ireland’s assistant manager in Malahide yesterday. “They are a little like us, they are very passionate and a little less technical. They won the European Championships and showed us all that in football anything is possible but I think now they are the team for us.

“France, like Portugal, are dangerous. They have very, very good players . . . (Franck) Ribery, (Karim) Benzema, (Thierry) Henry, (David) Trezeguet. I think it would be very difficult.”

Like most of the Irish players, Tardelli was deeply disappointed by the home side’s failure to beat Italy on Saturday night at Croke Park but, a couple of days on, he was leading the campaign to look on the bright side.

“We came close to beating the world champions, but still Italy are a very good side and the important thing is that the team played very well.

“I think we are getting better every day, in every game, in every training session, because the players believe in Giovanni (Trapattoni). You can see that. Now they want to finish the campaign without losing. It is important to them, because many of the big teams have lost games and it will be good for them to go into the play-offs undefeated.”

Their chances will be boosted by the absence of Roma’s Mirko Vucinic, the Montenegrin captain who misses the game in Dublin, while another of the side’s best players, Stevan Jovetic, is suspended. Montenegro won a competitive game in Podgorica for the first time on Saturday when they overcame Georgia 2-1, but the celebrations were marred by the crowd heckling coach Zoran Filipovic who oversaw the victory despite the death of his mother earlier in the day.

Trapattoni suggested on Sunday, meanwhile, that the fact several of his players are carrying yellow cards into tomorrow’s last game of the qualifying programme would not affect his team selection for the visit of Montenegro. But there were clear signs yesterday that that thinking had altered somewhat.

In the team’s afternoon training session it appeared the manager was on course to make four changes to the side that started at Croke Park, with Stephen Kelly coming in at right back and John O’Shea moving to replace Sean St Ledger in the centre, Damien Duff and Stephen Hunt taking over from Liam Lawrence and Aiden McGeady on the wings and Martin Rowlands deputising for the suspended Glenn Whelan in midfield.

“I think the yellow cards are in Giovanni’s mind,” acknowledged Tardelli, although it would still seem Keith Andrews will be kept on in midfield and Shay Given will be allowed to start what will be his 100th senior international game, despite the risk that one or both might pick up a booking and miss the first of the two play-off games.

“I’m very envious of Shay,” said the Italian World Cup winner. “I got to play 85 times for my country, but he must be very proud to make it to 100.”

Tardelli said he is hopeful that Steven Reid might be fit enough to be considered for next month’s games.

Slightly put out by the fact his booking might cost him the chance to start this evening, meanwhile, was Coventry City’s Leon Best, who came on and, he reckoned, did quite well against the Italians.

“He (the manager) asked me to put myself about a bit, to try to win some headers, hold the ball and try to win the odd free,” said the striker who attributes the strong start he has made to his club’s Championship campaign to the confidence he has derived from being involved with the Ireland international set-up.

“I was just delighted to get on the pitch, to be honest, to be the first substitute used was very exciting for me. But I thought I did okay. I won a few headers, got a few free kicks, but,” he noted with a sigh, “also got a booking.

“The manager mentioned today that he might not be playing players on yellows, so obviously I’m very disappointed. If I hadn’t been booked I could have started a game like this because the manager might have been looking to rest other players, but it doesn’t look like that will be happening now.”

On Saturday night, the more immediate consequence of picking up the booking was having to answer to his mum, Irene.

“It was great to get on in front of my family, but she’s not really too into football. It’s only about the eighth time she’s ever come along to see me and I think it all goes over her head, to be honest.

“She was disappointed that I got the yellow, though, she said it to me afterwards and I just had to blame it all on the Italian.”

The FAI has confirmed that it is reviewing the date for the FAI Cup final in the wake of Ireland reaching the play-offs. The match is scheduled for Sunday, November 22nd, four days after the second of the play-offs, and there is concern that the build-up to it will be overshadowed by the coverage of the national team’s attempt to secure qualification.