Czech Republic v Republic of Ireland: Seamus Coleman sets tone for resurgent Irish before Prague play-off

A surprise choice to succeed Kenny in 2024, 58-year-old Hallgrimsson could become just the third manager after Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy to lead the Republic of Ireland at a World Cup.

Unlike his squad, he has experienced football’s quadrennial showpiece as Iceland head coach in 2018, but he has been reluctant to place himself front and centre in this story, instead urging his players to execute the gameplan.

He is without Liam Scales (suspended), Josh Cullen (knee) and Evan Ferguson (ankle), but in Troy Parrott he can call upon the services of one of Europe’s hottest strikers

“It’s important to be ready and visualise what’s ahead of us,” said Hallgrimsson.

“It’s important now to do a session at the stadium, for example, just to feel the atmosphere, see the stadium, feel the grass, etc, knowing what to expect, knowing what they are saying and how they see this game.

“And then it’s just tactical, being ready for what they will throw at us and do what we need to do and just remind ourselves why we are in this position, continue to grow and do the same things that we have been doing.

“That’s kind of the psychology for a game like this. We all know by now why we got good results and good performances, and that’s the key, not be over-ambitious tomorrow, stay on point, focus on why we are here and trying to improve that, not only this game, continuously.”