Martin O'Neill: Austria Will "Do Everything" To Avenge Vienna Defeat
Martin O'Neill has warned the Boys in Green that the Austrian team will be coming to Dublin with the desire for revenge flowing through them.
The Republic of Ireland head into their first return fixture of Group D in the 2018 World Cup qualifers, having the upper hand on their opposition.
A James McClean goal proved the difference in a 1-0 win in Vienna last November and O'Neill is concerned that it will be fuel for the fire burning deep in the guts of the Austrian team.
"Austria would have been one of the favourites to go through in the group and I think that they might just be a little bit disappointed so far with some of the points that they've left on the field.
"They'll probably be disappointed that they've lost against us at home and I think that they will be doing everything, obviously, to put that right again.
"Naturally I expect a really tough game. They had a good win against Moldova and they seem as if they're back on track again. So, everything to play for and just a difficult game for us."
O'Neill wasn't the only man urging caution at the Irish squad base in Abbotstown this afternoon.
Jonathan Walters declared himself fit having sat out one training session this week, giving O'Neill a full deck to choose from, but then baulked at the suggestion that he could feel the reality of qualification getting nearer.
"We know if we win tomorrow the gap will be bigger but we've been on the other end of that situation where we came back in the last qualifying campaign to upset the odds.
"We know, even if we get a win tomorrow, there's some very difficult games coming up...Wales away, Serbia, [we] play everyone again.
"There's teams up there all fighting for it and we'll reassess come tomorrow evening but there's a long way to go yet before the World Cup."