The Republic of Ireland soccer team face an eastern mission of promise and pitfalls if Portugal, as expected, beat Estonia in the World Cup Group Two qualifier on October 6th.

The home and away play-off between a team from Europe and a team from Asia was the formula worked out by FIFA under pressure from the Asian Football Confederation, who wanted five teams at next year's finals.

As it is, World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea and two Asian group-toppers will guarantee the presence of four teams from Asia next June.

Whether Asia has a record fifth representative will depend on how the team from its own play-off process fares against what looks increasingly likely to be Ireland.

The first phase of the Asian qualifiers drew to a close last May. Ten group winners qualified for the second phase which began last month.

Those 10 teams have been split. Group A, dubbed the "Group of Death", features Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Thailand; Group B comprises China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Oman and Qatar.

The games will continue until the middle of October. The two group winners will automatically qualify, but the Irish focus will be on the runners-up in each group who must play each other on a home and away basis to decide who will take on the European challenge.

Seven of the teams in the second phase come from the Middle East, the stronghold of Asian soccer.

The qualifiers have become something of a sporting soap opera, with managerial casualties already and even interventions from princes and presidents.

With barely three of the eight rounds of games over, three managers have been shown the door and a cloud hangs over two others. Amid all the drama, it's too early to predict who will be the group victors and runners-up. But there are some initial guides to form.

China are the team cutting a dash at the moment. They top Group B and look very much like a team destined for a trip across the Yellow Sea to Japan.

In Group A, the indifferent form of the heavyweights - the Iranians, the Saudis and the Iraqis - has been counterbalanced by the surprisingly good showing of tiny Bahrain and, to a lesser extent, Thailand.

But, observers reckon, as the competition proceeds to its concluding stages, the Irans and Saudis of this world won't be found wanting.

Yesterday, Iran beat Iraq 2-1 to go top of the group. Either of these teams would be expected to deal with whatever runner-up Group B throws up.

So what type of challenge awaits the Republic if, as expected, they finish runner-ups to Portugal in Group Two?

One man urging caution is the China coach, Yugoslav Bora Milutinovic, the man who has already seen World Cup action with Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States and Nigeria.

"It is a difficult task, even for a team like the Republic of Ireland to come to play a team like Iran or Saudi Arabia or Bahrain.

"The warm conditions, the passion of the crowd, they do not want to be looking for too much out of the second leg if they end up in the play-off," he told The Irish Times.

He admits that Asian football has some way to go before reaching the level in Europe or South America, and says the Republic of Ireland are well-equipped in one field particularly. "They play with a spirit which very few teams can equal. You can talk about missed chances by the Dutch last Saturday, but Ireland went out and fought hard for the victory they needed and got it. "Mick McCarthy is a super guy and I have great admiration for what he has achieved.

"You just need to be careful and make sure that you do not under-estimate the challenge," says Milutinovic.