So then, we're missing a few and they're pretty much missing a team. It could certainly look worse for Mick McCarthy and his players ahead of this evening's game in Amsterdam, but then it could probably be a little better too.

On the plus side, the run of injuries that the Dutch have had to cope with over the past few weeks has been quite astonishing with players like Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars and Edgar Davids all having to pull out of Louis van Gaal's first international squad.

Of course, McCarthy won't need to be told just how strong the home side's panel is and I'm sure he wouldn't mind having one or two of his opposite number's reserves to call into his own side, but the fact remains that, in football, if one team is going to be missing a few, then it's better that it's your opponents.

On the Irish front, the loss of Kenny Cunningham looks to be the biggest blow to McCarthy's hopes of taking something this evening.

Over the past couple of seasons the Wimbledon player has established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the Republic's team and his absence will be felt tonight.

Faced with the loss of such a central figure, there were a few things McCarthy might have done to switch things around and it must have occurred to him to drop Roy Keane back or switch Ian Harte into the centre.

Instead, he has opted to keep it simple, bringing in the next centre half in the queue and leaving as many people as possible in the roles in which they are most familiar.

It's going to be tough out there for Richard Dunne and Gary Breen, there's no doubt about that. Dunne has shown some promise at club level over the past couple of seasons, but Everton's willingness to let him go gives an indication of their view of his limitations.

Breen is obviously more experienced and a lot will depend on how he performs on such a big stage. But the Coventry City player still isn't a regular at club level and he retains the habit of giving his opponents at least one glorious opportunity around the box in most of the matches in which he plays. If he does it against the Dutch then the chances are he's going to get punished.

As it happens, I wouldn't be quite so worried about this central-defensive partnership away from home as I would be if McCarthy were forced to put them out at Lansdowne Road. In an away game there will be a natural tendency for the midfield to be forced back into their own half and so there will be a measure of protection for the centre halves from Roy Keane and Mark Kinsella.

That's not to say that the Irish should go out there with the intention of digging in for the draw by getting a lot of bodies behind the ball. The fact is that, against sides of the quality of the Dutch, all you are doing in those circumstances is inviting their fullbacks and, in turn, trouble on yourself.

If the Irish are to get anything out of this game then they must at least present some sort of scoring threat to the home side. That was shown clearly during the recent European Championship finals when an inferior Czech side had a really good crack at the hosts by taking the game to them.

In Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane we have a striking partnership that, on its day, is capable of causing even a very good Dutch defence a few problems around their own area and so prevent them from lending a hand at the other end.

They'll only manage to do it, however, if they receive the support they require from midfield and that means the team as a whole achieving a balance that they have not often gotten right.

Whether the formation McCarthy now favours means they can get the result they want is another thing. I'm sure they'll do all of the things the Irish team traditionally do well. They'll work hard, pressure players and fight doggedly against a team that is, man for man, technically better equipped.

If they keep their heads, avoid doing anything rash early on and maybe have a little luck along the way, then there's no particular reason that they can't nick something.

But there'll be very little room for error against a nation whose first team showed how well they could move the ball around during Euro 2000 and whose second string have probably been waiting anxiously for a chance to prove themselves.

In an interview with Emmet Malone