Roy Keane will be required to fill the lead role when the Republic of Ireland seek to keep their World Cup hopes alive with a convincing win over Lithuania at Lansdowne Road this evening (kick-off 7.30, Network 2, 7.00).

Keane, frequently inspirational for Manchester United, somewhat less in the bulk of his 34 international appearances, is one of the few players guaranteed selection when Mick McCarthy names his team just before the kick-off.

McCarthy didn't identify Keane by name when he spoke yesterday of the need for players to be "brave and imaginative in their passing" if the Lithuanian defence is to be broken.

Yet, the target was obvious after earlier references to the conservative nature of the player's distribution since returning to the squad last November after his long, self-imposed exile from international football.

In sharp contrast to the swashbuckling nature of his performances in club competition, he has rarely imposed himself in the expected manner at the higher level. And this has been illustrated most expensively, perhaps, in his lack of ambition on the ball.

Now, the need is for him to sort out the final pass quickly and precisely. And on his ability to deliver may depend Ireland's hopes of producing the first of the three wins which McCarthy regards as essential if Ireland are to make the play-offs.

McCarthy views tomorrow's game as not wholly dissimilar from the Icelandic assignment in the sense that the Lithuanians, tall and athletic, will pitch their ambition at winning a point.

It was much the same scenario when the Icelanders set down in Dublin and with a combination of strong, forthright defence and a willingness to compete at every opportunity in midfield, disrupted the home team to such an extent that they failed to create a chance of note in the 90 minutes.

Even at a remove of nine months, McCarthy has not forgotten either the frustration or the futility of it all.

"That singly, was our most disappointing result and we simply have to learn from it," he said. "Our passing wasn't good enough and neither was our movement. There is no point in attacking in straight lines - we simply have to move players about and, hopefully, stretch their defence."

Sadly, Keith O'Neill, one of the players best fitted for that task, is not in Dublin after being ruled out with a back injury and that places a lot of responsibility on the even younger shoulders of the Feyenoord player, David Connolly.

If O'Neill excited the manager in the manner in which he lit up the Irish performance in a brief substitution in Macedonia, the same is true of Connolly who has seldom been less than influential in his six appearances in the green shirt.

Three of his five international goals came in the game against Liechtenstein and if he is unlikely to find the gaps quite so easily against a Lithuanian team which has grown up fast since being readmitted to international football, he is still excited by the challenge.

"Some of the chances we got against Liechtenstein were too easy to be true but it was still nice to put them away.

"Since then, of course, I've moved to Feyenoord and while I've only been there a couple of weeks, I feel that it's already helping my game in the sense of having to work hard to get into scoring positions.

"It will be my first game against Lithuania, if I get in the team, but some of the people who have played them in the past, tell me they are a strong team with good technique. "That's going to make for an interesting game but it's one that we intend to win."

As yet, there is no firm indication as to who will join Connolly in the front line.

Significantly, McCarthy was again at pains yesterday to emphasise Niall Quinn's recovery from the problems which overtook him last season but Tony Cascarino remains favourite to start the game.

Apart from Keane, Andy Townsend is a certain starter in midfield but here again, the manager is entitled to demand improvement. Many of Townsend's displays in the current campaign have been disquieting and while he was significantly closer to his best in the game against Romania in Bucharest, his muted contribution remains a matter of concern.

That loss of form has also been apparent at Aston Villa but after travelling to watch him play in the recent game against Leicester City, McCarthy was able to report that his team captain had rediscovered at least some of his old verve.

No less than Keane alongside him, his brief is at the core of Ireland's challenge for a place in the finals in France next summer, a mission which he hopes will enable him to eke another year out of his international career.

Ray Houghton, likewise, hoping for a big finish to a splendid partnership with Ireland, will also be very much in McCarthy's thoughts this morning. Alan McLaughlin's hopes were enhanced when the manager laid heavy emphasis on his penchant for making good runs.

Jeff Kenna, Denis Irwin, Steve Staunton, Kenny Cunningham and Ian Harte are others with genuine prospects of selection but irrespective of his final choice, McCarthy expects that victory will come only grudgingly.

"I imagine that they'll come looking for a draw but still hoping to catch us on the break," he said. "When I saw them play in Iceland, I was impressed by the fact that they deployed two up front but I suspect that their priorities will be different this time.

"As the home team, the onus is on us to chase the game but that is not to imply that we can afford to be anything other than vigilant at the back. Committed as we are to getting a good result, we simply cannot afford to expose ourselves to the risk of being caught out by the quick counter-attack."

On the evidence of their last appearance here four years ago, the Lithuanians will relish the physical element of the game and depend on quick reflexes to disguise a perceived imbalance in technical skills in Ireland's favour.

Only five of that squad now survive but collectively, Gintaras Stauca, a fine goalkeeper with 30 caps to his credit, Andrejus Tereskinas, Tomas Ziukas, Irmantas Stumbrys and Vaidotas Slekys represent the biggest threat to Ireland.

In spite of the fact that he has scored only three times in 28 international appearances, Slekys will require vigilant policing but when battle is done, it will still be a surprise if they manage to finish within two goals of the Irish.