Colin O’Brien’s side has already secured its place in the finals in May thanks to a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 1-0 victory over Slovakia but the Irish Head Coach wants to ensure they return home on a high.
Qualifying for the UEFA Finals in Croatia in his first season as Head Coach of the side is a brilliant achievement by O’Brien, his staff and the players and they will look to maintain the high standards they have set for themselves.
“Our aim is to top our group and maintain the work we’ve done this week,” said O’Brien.
“At the moment everybody is fine. We had a light day on Saturday then picked it up again today in preparation for the final game in the group. Once again all 18 players are fit which is a credit to everybody involved.
“We’ve seen plenty of Cyprus in their opening two games. They’ll be a wounded animal at this point with hurt pride and will want to end the tournament with a win. However we’ll be fully focused on ourselves while being aware of their threats.
“The defensive side of things has been a target this week for our players. They wanted clean sheets and they’re a determined bunch of boys and I know they would like to end the competition with another game without conceding a goal.”
RESULTS & FIXTURES
Wednesday, 15 March: Republic of Ireland 4-0 Faroe Islands, Paphos
Friday, 17 March: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Slovakia, Paphiakos Stadium, Paphos
Monday, 20 March: Republic of Ireland v Cyprus, Kouklia Community Stadium, Paphos (CYP), KO 13:00