The Irish media will gather in the RDS this lunchtime to be formally introduced to new Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni.

The Italian will be officially unveiled in his new role alongside his backroom team, which includes Liam Brady and World Cup winner Marco Tardelli.

The 68-year-old, who won seven Serie A titles in Italy, has a two-year contract and the unenviable task of restoring faith in the team and securing a place at the 2010 World Cup.

The Football Association of Ireland touted his arrival as a major coup for the country, even though it took a drawn-out 113-day search to finally secure his services.

Trapattoni's international pedigree is highly regarded even if his record is somewhat mixed.

As Italian national coach he took the team to the 2002 World Cup, losing in the second round to hosts South Korea, and later he failed to make it through the group stages at Euro 2004.

A 40-man squad has been named for his first game, a friendly against Serbia on May 24th, but the list of players is to be whittled down to 28.

Trapattoni takes his first training sessions at a special camp in the Algarve, Portugal the week before the Croke Park clash.

The long qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, which features games against Italy, begins in September.