Ireland confident

The Republic of Ireland can smell a wounded animal. As the laws of nature go, it will either bite back with devastating effect on Tuesday night in Gelsenkirchen, or it may roll over and be there for the taking.

Ireland's 7-0 annihilation of Gibraltar, the youngest member of UEFA, coupled with Germany's first away qualifying defeat since 1998 in Warsaw has heartened the Irish team ahead of their match in Germany.

Robbie Keane, Ireland's record scorer with 65 goals, bagged a hat-trick against the minnows. The comfortable win has certainly restored some confidence among Ireland's fans, the Green Army, before they journey with their team to the Veltins Arena.

"There is no reason why we can't go there and get something out of the game," said Keane who is also the highest scorer in the history of EURO Qualifiers.

"It's going to be tough, they are the world champions and it will be completely different from the game against Gibraltar, but we are going there with confidence."

Experienced, former Manchester United man John O'Shea added: "We've just played a team that is new to the competition and now we are going to play the team that just won the World Cup, so we are under no illusions that it will be a very different test on Tuesday. But it's one that we are looking forward to."

A slow process

Ireland have been in a time of transition for some time now. Giovanni Trappatoni's pragmatic style eventually brought his downfall last year, as Ireland opted for a new coach. The vastly experienced Italian coach, however, actually enjoyed a mixed bag of success as Ireland coach.

He steered Ireland to the play-offs of World Cup qualification in 2010, boasting an impressive record in the group phase with 18 points, finishing just behind Italy.

Trappatoni's side were dealt a horrible slice of luck in the play-off, missing out in extra-time against France in a match that will be forever marred by Thierry Henry's infamous handball.

Ireland might not have won a single match at EURO 2012 - but it was their first major championship in a decade, and the height of the Trappatoni era. But as Ireland trudged through World Cup qualification, performances declined and they were unable to book a trip to Brazil.

O'Neill plans to unsettle

An equally experienced new coach, former Celtic and Leicester City manager Martin O'Neill, joined by ex-Manchester United skipper Roy Keane, have offered some hope for Irish fans of making the 2016 EURO finals in France.

Fourteen of Ireland's international squad are contracted to English Premier League clubs, with one playing in Scotland with domestic champions, Celtic. O'Neill has a reputation for intelligent tactics and looking to unsettle opposition defenses, insisting post-match on Saturday that Ireland will be going to Germany to take all three points.

"I think if you go there and sit in for the whole night then Germany will find a way in behind you," he said. "We have some attacking options and I think it's important that we go there and try to cause them some problems too."

Poland's win over the world champions has altered the dynamics of the group - but it's early days. A win by Scotland in Warsaw for instance, could restore the track Ireland wanted to go down: securing second spot in the group behind Germany.

One thing is for sure: Joachim Löw is keen to restore the pecking order on Tuesday night.

"We expect Ireland to use similar tactics from recent years, they are a side who predominantly defend and mainly play on the counter-attack," said Löw who is also demanding "maximum points" from his players in Tuesday's encounter.