Football's day of judgment breaks across Europe, with the ambition and apprehension of more than 20 countries ready to condense into just 90 minutes of impassioned action.

After a marathon qualifying programme, stretching back 15 months, the quest for places in the finals of the Euro 2000 championship is now into its critical phase. And nowhere is the sense of anxiety more easily identifiable than here in the Balkans where, at venues 1,000 km apart, the intricate plot of Group Eight is about to be resolved.

From vastly different perspectives, Mick McCarthy and his opposite number Dragan Kanatloravski are advancing credible claims for victory ahead of the Republic of Ireland's meeting with Macedonia in Skopje (ko: 6.30 Irish time, TV3).

In another corner of this tortured region, the soundings are less sporting than war-like as Croatia and Yugoslavia make ready in Zagreb to resolve issues rooted in their painful histories.

"This is not to be regarded as just another football match," warns Croatia's high-profile striker Davor Suker. "There are too many women in Zagreb crying over lost husbands and sons for that."

The pertinent facts are that if Yugoslavia and Ireland both win, the Yugoslavs will progress to the finals with the Irish consigned to the lottery of the play-offs for second-placed teams.

An Ireland win and anything less than the maximum three points from Yugoslavia would mean that McCarthy's team qualifies for the European finals for the first time in 12 years.

Defeat for both would enable Croatia to sneak in at the death and qualify automatically as group winners, with Yugoslavia headed for the play-offs.

"No matter which way you look at it there are going to be a lot of agitated people in this place over the next 24 hours," said McCarthy. "It's all there for us if we're good enough - and I think we are. But it's still going to be a very long day."

McCarthy has selected Manchester City's Mark Kennedy over Kevin Kilbane and Damien Duff on the left wing. McCarthy goes with a 4-4-2 formation with Leeds United's Gary Kelly on the right and Kennedy on the left, with both men under instruction to provide as many crosses as possible for strikers Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane.

Liverpool's Steve Staunton again captains the side in the absence of injured Manchester United star Roy Keane, whose midfield duties will be taken by Portsmouth's Alan McLoughlin.

Staunton, who will win his 82nd cap this evening, is eager to qualify for another major championships. "We are all desperate to get there this time - and it's no different for the older players than the youngsters," he said yesterday after the squad's final training session. "It has all come down to one match as it often does in these cases and this time we are determined to make it and go all out for a win."

"I wasn't that much involved in the Euro 96 qualifiers but it was a big disappointment for me to miss out on going to the finals in Sweden," added Staunton.

"But this time we are in a much stronger position and that's why we will go all out for the win. We're still dependent on other things again and need Yugoslavia to slip up in Croatia, but a win by us guarantees the play-offs at least."

Some 400 supporters have travelled from Ireland for the game . Another 700 are expected to converge on Skopje from points across Europe and many of the 300 Irish troops based in Kosovo with the Kfor peacekeeping force are also expected at the game.

Under the terms of an agreement worked out between the Croatian and Yugoslav football federations, only 200 tickets are being made available to Yugoslav supporters for the game in Zagreb.

This corresponds with the arrangements for the first leg of the tie in Belgrade seven weeks ago when a power failure in the Red Star Stadium heightened fears for the security of the Croatian team and officials.

Now the reverse plan is being put into operation and yesterday a UEFA spokesman said they were satisfied that the game could be staged without crowd trouble.

"Fears for the safety of spectators were shown to be unfounded in Belgrade," he said. "We are satisfied that with the arrangements now in place there will be no problems in Zagreb".