European Qualifiers: Gibraltar ready for Republic of Ireland challenge, says Allen Bula

Gibraltar manager Allen Bula says his players are up for the challenge of facing the Republic of Ireland in their European Qualifying match on Saturday, despite suffering a 7-0 hammering at home to Poland last month, writes Sky Sports News HQ's David Garrido.

The British overseas territory is UEFA’s newest member, having officially become part of the European football family in May 2013, and the landmarks are coming thick and fast.

The Group D game at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin will be their first competitive away game, which Bula looked ahead to on Sky Sports News HQ: “It is going to be a tough test again for my players, especially in a stadium that looks to be packed, but it’s about keeping talking to them, making them believe in themselves.”

Aiden McGeady is one of the players that’s doing very, very well for Ireland at the moment, and Robbie Keane’s experience speaks for itself.

Bula is right to mention the venue, as this will be, by quite some margin, the biggest crowd that his group of mainly amateurs and semi-professionals will have played in front of.

Gibraltar’s last attendance was around 1,200 at the Estadio do Algarve in Faro, while the Aviva’s capacity is 50,000. Even with empty seats, that is the sort of figure than can make self-belief shrink in a heartbeat.

Workmanlike

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The 7-0 scoreline against Poland was all the more painful because Gibraltar were only 1-0 down at half-time having put in a disciplined, workmanlike first 45. But four goals conceded in 10 frenetic minutes after the break ripped the heart out of Bula’s side.

Tactical naivety and a loss of concentration cost them, and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski duly filled his boots, scoring four himself.

Surely they will have learnt from that experience and will be mindful of avoiding similar scenarios. And this time they may not have to cope with Lewandowski, but there are plenty of new threats.

“Aiden McGeady is one of the players that’s doing very, very well for Ireland at the moment, and Robbie Keane’s experience speaks for itself. We’re concentrating on most of the players, but the likes of McGeady and Keane are going to be a handful,” said Bula.

In terms of his own squad, again the pressure will be on the back four led by captain Roy Chipolina, with Ryan Casciaro likely to sit in front of the defence to offer further protection. Going forward, the cultured touch of Liam Walker, the pace of Brian Perez and the sheer enthusiasm and tenacity of Lee Casciaro will be his main outlets.

Adventure

But this next challenge to overcome in the adventure for Bula’s boys is mostly a mental one - how to deal with the occasion, the sheer cavernous size of the stadium, the intense focus of tens of thousands of pairs of eyes (let alone the rest watching on TV), as well as the opposition.

“They’ve only got 30 seconds to take in the atmosphere and after 30 seconds, they’ve got to snap out of it,” says Bula.

A second heavy defeat at the end of the 90 minutes would suggest that this European qualifying journey is going to be a long and arduous one.

Watch GIbraltar take on the Republic of Ireland in Dublin live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 4.45pm this Saturday.