John Egan insists Ireland hold no fear of Kylian Mbappe’s France as they chase a signature win on Monday.
And the defender says he will draw strength from previous clashes with heavyweight nations when Ireland stood up to fight as massive underdogs.
On Wednesday, Ireland eventually disposed of minnows Latvia 3-2 with a muddled performance that was far more complicated than it should have been.
Last night, the players and management team visited the Epic Ireland museum before unwinding at a team meal in a Dublin city centre restaurant.
But they are back on the training ground this morning ahead of the opening Euro qualifier with the World Cup finalists.
And Sheffield United ace Egan said: “Everyone knows France, everyone saw the World Cup and saw how good they were.
“The World Cup final was a top game and they’re a top side with top players, so it's going to be a really big test for us.
“But as players, we’ve a lot of belief in ourselves. It’s no secret who we’re coming up against. That’s just a fact.
“We’ve played some big teams in the past and done really well. We don’t fear anyone. We’re Irish. We’re playing at home in front of our fans.
“We’ve all seen big nights in the past in Dublin and we want to go out there and give 100% and get results.
“Monday night is probably the biggest test we’ve faced so far as a group but we’re really looking forward to going out there and giving it our all.”
France, with new skipper Mbappe and sidekick Antoine Griezmann pulling the strings, are focused on tonight’s clash with Holland in Paris.
But whatever the outcome at the Stade de France, they will be strong favourites to win in Dublin.
Egan has no beef with that because he’s adamant that Stephen Kenny’s men can defy expectations and make a positive start to a difficult group.
His headed goal in Faro had Ireland on track for a famous win away to Portugal in the World Cup campaign, until Ronaldo scored a gut-wrenching brace at the death.
But with Holland, Greece and Gibraltar still to come - and only two teams qualifying - Egan knows Ireland will have to go one step further and beat a heavyweight to qualify.
He continued: “We know the attacking threat that France can bring and it’s up to us to nullify that as a team. As individuals we know we’ll have to be at our peak.
“France had that many games at the World Cup, I don’t think they’re hiding anything - the type of team they are and the threats they pose.
“(A win) could give us huge confidence. We’re at the start of a campaign and we want to start it on the right note.
“We all have the belief in each other that when we get it right, we’ve done really well against the big teams. We want to take that next step and get the win.”
Egan, who will be up against AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud, added: “The France squad is full of top players and we’re going to have to be at our peak.
“But we’ve got a lot of belief in ourselves that we can do that.”
Meanwhile, Egan reckons Evan Ferguson is only going to get better and better.
The young striker celebrated his first Ireland start with a goal in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Latvia.
That was his third cap having made the breakthrough in November friendlies against Norway and Malta.
But Ferguson - who has seven goals for Brighton this season - must park that friendly fire and prepare for the pressure cooker that is Euro 2024 qualification.
He shook off a knock in the second-half on Wednesday and looks primed to start against France on Monday.
Defensive stalwart Egan said: “He’s a really good striker, a really good number nine, really strong and quick, good feet and a good finisher.
“He’s really good. I know he has got a top attitude as well, he wants to improve and get better all the time, which is the main thing.”
The Sheffield United centre-back added: “He carries himself really well. You can see from he's doing at club level that he's really confident and is bringing that into camp.
“He's a big man for 18 and for him to get his first international goal was a huge moment for him and I’m delighted.
“He’s a confident player in a really good spell and hopefully he keeps that going.”
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