Stephen Kenny is set to name his Ireland squad ahead of a triple-header of World Cup Qualifiers next month.
The Boys in Green are preparing to travel to take on Portugal before welcoming Serbia and Azerbaijan to the Aviva Stadium in September qualifiers.
With Kenny enduring a rocky first year as Ireland boss, he signed off on a somewhat positive note as he scored his first win as senior manager against Andorra before a battling draw with Hungary in June friendlies.
But his side are up against it in the race to Qatar next year and after defeats to Serbia and Luxembourg in March, and Kenny knows that Ireland need at least two wins from three next month to reignite qualifying hopes.
A Faro clash with Portugal is unlikely to reap rewards, however Irish fans will be hoping a return of fans at Lansdowne Road can prove decisive in the latter fixtures.
And Kenny will announce his squad on Thursday afternoon at around 1 pm after having a look at several stars as the Premier League and Football Leagues returned in recent weeks.
There's also speculation that Dundalk's Michael Duffy could be named in the squad, with Lilywhites boss Vinny Perth revealing that contact had been made with the winger.
Elsewhere, Enda Stevens and Jason Knight are among the unavailable players, the Championship stars are both sidelined with injuries but could make a return later this year.
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