Ireland v Czechia: Mark Lawrenson identifies two key areas where Boys in Green can come out on top

Former Ireland star Lawrenson is cautiously optimistic that the Boys in Green can overcome a tough test in Prague

Mark Lawrenson has warned Irish fans to be wary of the threat posed by Czechia but remains cautiously optimistic about the Boys in Green’s chances of making the 2026 World Cup.

The Republic of Ireland face a date with destiny when they travel to Prague to take on the Czechs in the play-off semi-final on Thursday. Troy Parrott’s two goal salvo to down Portugal and his last gasp heroics in Budapest have raised expectation levels among Irish fans but Lawrenson sounded a word of warning ahead of the tie.

“There are no poor teams at this level anymore,” he told Dublin Live. “I would just be very, very cautious…at this level, anybody can beat anybody so I think you’ve got to be be very, very careful about that.”

However the former Liverpool star, who played a key part in Ireland’s first ever qualification for a major finals believes there are plenty of positives Heimar Hallgrimsson’s men can take into the game.

“It’s difficult, international football, because you meet the lads probably four or five times a year, which is always difficult in itself and then if one or two are injured, you don’t see them for a while,” he said. “But when you look at the players that we have, I think our biggest asset is we are difficult to beat. That’s always a good starter, whereas if you turn around every 20 minutes thinking you’re going to concede, that’s no good.”

Lawrenson, who was speaking on behalf of Sports Betting, added that while many of Ireland’s players are of a similar level, there are two key areas where he believes they can hurt the Czechs, with the in form Parrott being crucial to success in Prague.

“I would say that a lot of the players are very samey but there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “The manager can work on that if they’re the same then that’s absolutely fine. They’re not going to do something stupid, players now have lots of experience.

“Troy’s obviously going to be the goal-scorer, it’s just for me, who is going to be the creative midfield player that’s going to set up the chances. But no matter what level you play at, you will always get chances in a game so if and when that happens, we’ve got to take them. It’s just that obviously, can we get the ball where he wants it on enough occasions?

“That’s the big thing. The other thing as well is, we are very dangerous from set plays. With the manager, he knows everybody. He knows what works for them. It doesn’t matter how you score, does it? It absolutely doesn’t. And the whole thing about this is – just win the game. Even if you play ugly it doesn’t matter. You’ve just got to get through it.”

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