McCarthy relishes Ireland's return to familiar underdog role

After filling an ununsual role as favourites for their final group match against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Republic of Ireland are back in their familiar, preferred position as underdogs. Much as they like to yelp about it from time to time, being unfancied suits them best, and they know it. So Spain will be short-priced favourites to win Sunday's second round tie in Suwon, before which Ireland's manager Mick McCarthy will heap praise upon the opposition, while bridling if anyone should dare to talk down his team.

Yesterday, a Spanish journalist suggested that Spain were the more skilful of the two sides and wondered, reasonably enough, how Ireland would counter that. "I'm sure if I took a poll within this room, I'd get a 99 per cent vote that Spain are the better, more skilful team," McCarthy said. "So suddenly we become an underdog and the pressure's not quite the same. That pressure of having to turn out and win against a team that's supposedly not as good as you is horrible in football. We've all seen giant-killings – France are out, Argentina are out – and it's difficult pressure to deal with. Going into the game with people expecting you not to win is a far easier way."

That was the way of it against Cameroon and Germany, just as it was against Portugal and the Netherlands, twice each, in the qualifying campaign. When the pressure switched the other way against Saudi Arabia, the Irish played a poor first 45 minutes, but coped and progressed.

Spain have a doubt about the striker Diego Tristan (thigh strain), but will be formidable opponents, at least on the evidence of a 3-2 win over South Africa with seven or eight reserve players. "Having tried to see where their weaknesses are, I couldn't find any," McCarthy said, confusing the foreign press present by adding: "We'll have to hide the ball."

He will need his good players fit to do that, so it was a little alarming to hear that Steve Staunton (thigh), Kevin Kilbane (ankle), Damien Duff (knee) and Robbie Keane (groin) had not trained at the local military sportsground. But McCarthy insisted: "They'll be okay." He must have been tempted to say all four were at death's door, if only to lure Spain into even greater complacency.