Mick McCarthy is happy for his Ireland players to bill next month’s clash with Denmark as the real revenge mission.
The memories of that 5-1 World Cup playoff nightmare in Dublin still haunt some of the squad.
Ireland and Denmark have clashed three times since then - twice in the Nations League and once in this campaign - and all were drawn.
They are familiar foes but the high stakes nature of next month’s decider smacks of November two years ago.
“If it’s about somebody gaining revenge on that opposition then if we do it, it will be brilliant,” said the Ireland manager.
“We’ve just got to have a really good performance, a solid performance with the ball and without the ball.
“There’ll be build-up to it for the next month and I’d hope there’ll be a full house and a partisan crowd. It’s our cup final and a great opportunity at home.”
McCarthy continued: “We’ll need to be at our best in Dublin. We’ll have to have a big performance because they’re a good team.
“But when we play well together, when we’re good with the ball and without it, they’re the elements of a good performance.
“In the second-half against Switzerland, we proved that we could pass it and it’s that performance that we need to remember, not the first-half.”
McCarthy also revealed that skipper Seamus Coleman is devastated to miss out on next month’s decider.
He was sent off on a second yellow card after conceding a penalty late on - which Darren Randolpjh saved - for handball.
“He's feeling very down,” said the manager. “He knows he can’t play in what’s one of the biggest games that’s been around for a while.”
But McCarthy denied that James McClean’s up and down form is a cause for concern.
The Derryman was the talisman of the 2018 World Cup campaign but has yet to hit those heights in this campaign.
“I wouldn’t agree, not at all, and I’m certainly not going to criticise my players to you or to anyone else,” said McCarthy.
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