Is it a coincidence that Christian Eriksen ran riot with a hat-trick in Dublin two years ago when Glenn Whelan was an unused sub?
Five months ago in Copenhagen, Ireland's midfield lived by the seat of its pants from start to finish but Whelan still did just enough to stymie the Spurs star in a 1-1 draw.
Read into that what you will, but Whelan fancies putting Eriksen in chains on his return to the Irish capital tonight.
Mick McCarthy insists he won’t assign a specific man-marking job on Eriksen - but Whelan will have the great Dane in his sights.
“Out there, I think I kept him pretty quiet,” said the veteran midfielder yesterday.
“People talk about him having a sticky time at Spurs but he’s a player of top quality. And it’s not just him because if you shackle him they have someone else.
“But if we go out there with a real determination, they’ll worry about us more than we’ll worry about them. We have to get in their faces and make it horrible.”
McCarthy acknowledged the role Whelan has to play tonight and said: "They do the necessary evil job that is just sitting there, breaking things up, getting the ball, giving it to others.
"In modern day football it’s probably more pertinent than ever and Glenn is particularly good at it"
Whelan wants no repeat of the “gut-wrenching” feeling he experienced in the wake of the 5-1 World Cup playoff defeat.
Recalling that playoff, he said: “The disappointment of getting a decent result away and to go 1-0 up at home and think we have a right chance….
“Then to fall apart the way we did, everyone was really disappointed. It was gut-wrenching in that dressing room.
“Scoring early probably didn’t help because we had something to hold on to and for Ireland over the years that hasn’t been a strong point for us.
“We were 2-1 down at half-time and the gates were opened. We were going for it. Maybe we were too open but if you don’t have a go you won’t win.
“To do it like we did is obviously a real disappointment and it showed us that Denmark have great quality if you let them play. This is a cup tie and winner takes all.”
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