PREVIEW: Ireland two wins away from World Cup as they face Czech Republic in crucial play-off match | OneFootball

Following a disastrous defeat away to Armenia back in September, Ireland then lost away to Portugal which put their World Cup qualifying bid in critical condition. Then, in a remarkable turnaround that only football is capable of producing, the Boys in Green went on a three-game winning run that snatched them a place in the play-offs.

A nervy and unconvincing 1-0 victory at home to Armenia was followed by a fantastic display and result in a 2-0 win against Portugal in Dublin. After Cristiano Ronaldo’s missed penalty and sending off, a Troy Parrott brace made the difference and meant they needed to beat the then second-placed side Hungary in Budapest to leapfrog them and claim the play-off spot. In a game that was tense and fraught with errors, a stunning hat-trick from Troy Parrott – including one in the last minute of the game – meant the play-off spot was theirs following the most remarkable of comebacks.

Now with a chance to qualify for their first World Cup since their run to the round of 16 in Japan/Korea 2002, Ireland and Troy Parrott will be heading into this crucial match against the Czech Republic aiming to be only the fourth Irish side to ever appear at the World Cup.

Standing in their immediate path is the Czech Republic who have had a slightly less dramatic route to this stage, having bounced back from a damaging 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands in the group stage to finish second behind Croatia. Since the country’s split from Slovakia to form their own nation, the Czech Republic have only qualified for one World Cup from eight attempts and Miroslav Koubek will be keen to recreate the side’s successes in the European Championships where they have finished as runners-up and semi-finalists before.

Having won five and drawn one of their eight games during qualifying, the Czechs are only behind Italy, Bosnia and Poland as the second-placed side with the most points accrued. In a campaign that had serious lows for the side, including the aforementioned defeat to the Faroe Islands, the side also suffered a thrashing at the hands of Croatia back in June. Czechia also narrowly beat San Marino 1-0 in a friendly which wouldn’t give them too much confidence.

Ireland have won just two of the previous eight meetings between the sides since the Czech Republic became an independent nation, with their last victory against the Czechs came almost exactly 22 years ago in a 2-1 win. Since then, the sides have played three times with two draws and a victory for the Czech Republic.

Ireland will be able to recall their heroes from a memorable victory in Budapest including their lead man at the moment in Troy Parrott and Brentford duo Caoimhin Kelleher and Nathan Collins, both of whom have been on fire for their club side this season.

As for the Czechs, they will have the talents of West Ham legend Tomas Soucek who has been pivotal in the Premier League team’ss recent revival, and he is joined by leading striker Patrick Schick who has been struggling to find the back of the net as of late and will need to rejuvenate his form for the national team.

Elsewhere, they have Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci who, whilst Wolves haven’t had a good Premier League season by any means, has performed well in the second half of the season as the club looks to save face after a disastrous season in the top flight.

Thursday’s game provides the chance for Ireland to continue their fairy-tale recent form and go within just one game of reaching the World Cup in the summer. It also gives the Czech Republic a chance to add another major tournament to their list of achievements and to end a lukewarm qualifying campaign with a massive success.