Republic of Ireland will back in action on Tuesday evening against an out-of-sorts Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium.
John O’Shea, who is currently presiding over the Irish team as the quest to appoint a new manager to succeed Stephen Kenny continues, did his stock no harm against Belgium.
Indeed, the Republic of Ireland came within a whisker of defeating Belgium, but Evan Ferguson was foiled from the penalty spot.
Nevertheless, a goalless draw against Belgium provided a snapshot of their bright future, and they will be looking to build upon that.
Switzerland, similarly, fired blanks against Denmark last weekend, but they have been on a bit of a luckless run of late, winning just one of their past eight games.
With Yann Sommer coming off with what appeared to be a sprained ankle against the Danes, he has now returned to his club Inter Milan for further medical tests, but the Swiss will be praying it is nothing too serious.
Back to the here and now, the Republic of Ireland will be looking to end the international period on a high, but will they come out on top?
I have raced over to the betting markets and picked out a couple of tips for your consideration.
Republic of Ireland to give John O’Shea a good send-off
The search for finding a replacement for Kenny has been a protracted saga by all accounts.
It is widely expected that O’Shea will fulfil matchday duties for the last time against Switzerland, however, as mentioned, he didn’t do his prospects any harm with the draw against Belgium.
His side looked compact and they made themselves very difficult for the Belgians to break down, although it would be interesting to know how seriously the visitors took the assignment.
That aside, the Republic of Ireland are fast becoming draw specialists, sharing the spoils in each of their last two games in all competitions, and the last time they drew three in a row was between March and June 2015.
Switzerland’s trials and tribulations, meanwhile, have been clear for all to see at times, and they will want to rectify things ahead of the Euros.
Ireland, by the way, have won four and drawn four of their 12 meetings with Switzerland, so the head-to-head record suggests there is little to separate the two sides on paper.
As O’Shea is concerned, he is looking to emulate Martin O’Neill, who was the only other manager to oversee a clean sheet in both of his first two games in charge of the Boys in Green in 2013.
But if this does prove to be O’Shea’s last game in charge, he will want a good send-off. I think he will bow out with honour and claim a win, which is trading at 11/5 with Paddy Power.
Evan Ferguson to make up for spot-kick blemish
You could probably imagine there was some anguish as Ferguson fluffed his lines from 12 yards out against Belgium.
Before reporting for international duty, Ferguson had gone 20 games without finding the target for his club, and he just needs a goal to get going again.
I think chances could fall Ferguson’s way against Switzerland and as any striker knows, once you grab one, then things start to fall into place.
To round things off, I’m siding with Ferguson to break the deadlock, and he’s available at 13/2 with William Hill.
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