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Mick McCarthy has urged the Republic of Ireland to make Denmark pay for their insults as the sides prepare to meet for the fifth time in 18 months.<\/p>\nMick McCarthy has urged the Republic of Ireland to make Denmark pay for their insults as the sides prepare to meet for the fifth time in 18 months.<\/p>\n
Ireland run out in Copenhagen on Friday evening having taken maximum points from their opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia and leading Group D as a result.<\/p>\n
However, they will expect a much sterner test at the Telia Parken Stadium \u2013 where they drew 0-0 in a World Cup play-off showdown in November 2017, prompting Danish midfielder Thomas Delaney to liken the task of trying to break Martin O\u2019Neill\u2019s side down to \u201copening a can of baked beans with your bare hands\u201d.<\/p>\n
Three days later, the Danes trounced Ireland 5-1 to make it to Russia, although a 0-0 Nations League draw in Dublin in October last year saw Delaney describe the Republic\u2019s football as \u201cprimitive\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked if those barbs had stuck in the minds of his players, McCarthy replied: \u201cIt would with me. We are all different but if somebody mentions it, it might just have a positive effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone insults you, I guess you\u2019d take umbrage at it and want to do something about it, if you could, in any positive way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what they said \u2013 what did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
When he was told about Delaney\u2019s comments and the suggestion that Ireland\u2019s football was agricultural, McCarthy replied: \u201cWell, we are from a farming country, aren\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
Denmark\u2019s 5-1 demolition job at the Aviva Stadium came courtesy largely of a superb hat-trick from Christian Eriksen, who is in line to play against the Republic just six days after suffering the heartache of Tottenham\u2019s Champions League final defeat by Liverpool in Madrid.<\/p>\n
However, McCarthy admits he cannot predict how that will affect the 27-year-old, nor how his players who were involved in the Sky Bet Championship and League One play-off finals \u2013 Aston Villa\u2019s Glenn Whelan and Conor Hourihane and Charlton\u2019s Josh Cullen were winners, while Derby skipper Richard Keogh finished on the losing side \u2013 will respond.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe\u2019ll find out, and whether playing in play-off finals, winning them, has a positive effect or losing them has a negative effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t see that in Richard Keogh, though, because he\u2019s been great coming in training. He\u2019s just been himself, a real positive person around the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether Eriksen is feeling it because he lost and they didn\u2019t play very well as a team, I\u2019ve no idea. Or whether he turns up and he wants to make amends for it, I haven\u2019t got a clue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t affect any of those feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s winning start to the campaign in March was achieved without Southampton striker Shane Long, who had to withdraw from the squad with a groin injury, and he will be missing again after suffering a hamstring problem in training, a major disappointment after ending the season with four goals in seven Premier League games for Southampton.<\/p>\n
But McCarthy said: \u201cIt\u2019s a disappointment \u2013 I hope it turns out not to be any sort of a blow, of course because I\u2019m hoping we\u2019ve got other strikers that can do the business for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut certainly, it\u2019s a huge blow for him as well having come in and recovered from injury from the last time and then picking up an injury this time, so I\u2019m really disappointed for him.\u201d<\/p>\n