In the middle of the room Franky Van Der Elst is chatting with the local press. Laughing as the words of his manager Georges Leekens are put to him. "He says," says one Irish journalist, "that you have the body of a 36-year-old but the spirit of a 26-year-old." "Yes," grins the veteran "but he was my manager at Bruges 10 years ago and he said that then too." For Van der Elst, now hoping to compete at his fourth World Cup finals, the appointment of Leekens to the Belgian job in January prompted a return from international retirement but for Michael Verstraeten, the 30-yearold central defender from Germ Ekeren it meant a belated start to an international career that didn't look likely to happen.
"When you get to 30 and you have never been an international, obviously you realise that it's now or never. It was great when I got my chance in Wales and in this game I will be playing for my future with the team but the most important thing is always that the team wins. If that happens and I play poorly then I will still be happy."
In fact, Leekens only turned to Verstraeten when Phillippe Albert declined to answer an international recall last week but the Belgium manager points to the central defender as one of the key components in his team for this evening's match. "You might not know him," Leekens says "and in Belgium he was not well known until a couple of years ago but he is important for us to have with us here because he brings a lot of strength to our defence for a game where we must prevent the Irish from creating chances at the front."
Countering an aerial bombardment would appear to be the new man's speciality and he is no stranger to the particular brand of airborne threat posed by "big Cas" having played against him in European competition when the Irishman was playing for Celtic.
"I remember well from those games," remarks the quiet spoken Belgian with a hint of a smile. "I remember that he is a big guy. Not so fast but not so slow either and he keeps fighting for the 90 minutes so I know it will be a tough game for me.
"But then I am strong too. It is my natural game to be a stopper, to win the ball and give it to others who can make the play so it will be a good contest between us, a good match within the match."
The outcome of their clash may well prove, the Belgian management believe, to have a decisive influence on the overall outcome for Leekens has, at every opportunity highlighted the threat that the big Irish striker poses for his men.
Despite this being his first start at this level, the 30-year-old is appears unfazed by the responsibility, however, even claiming that the visitors could survive conceding a couple of goals this evening as long as they find the mark once themselves.
"A draw or a 1-0 win would be fantastic but I think a 2-1 defeat would put us is a strong position," he says. "As long as we do not have to chase too many goals in the Brussels game we will be happy."
He plays down the suspicion that his side might try to hinder the home team's progress this evening with a very tough, physical approach, a view prompted by his manager's assertion that this will not be a game for "nancy boys". "It will," he remarks "be tough for both sides but hopefully a good game," before concluding that "the feeling for us, I think, is the same as here . . . that this was a good draw and that we can win and go through to the finals next summer. Now, we will see which side is right."
