Analysis: It's important to put forward a reality check ahead of tonight's game. The Republic of Ireland are an average team who punch above their weight on occasions. If at the start of this World Cup campaign, the players, management and supporters were offered the scenario of having to beat the Swiss at home in their final game to qualify for the play-offs, few would have turned their nose up at such an outcome.

Saturday's performance in Cyprus was abject, but it doesn't matter at this stage. The result was the only thing that sustained Ireland's ambition and, thanks to a large slice of luck, they managed to get the victory. I would liken that game to a cup semi-final; it's about winning, as no one cares about or remembers those who fail at the penultimate stage of a tournament.

Ireland are 90 minutes away from a place in the play-offs, and it is in that context you have to view tonight's encounter. This game isn't about Brian Kerr or the team's shortcomings, it's about beating an average Swiss team. The time for crying into pints and navel-gazing can come if the team fail to progress.

Saturday's win was a facilitator in terms of putting the Irish in a position, with a home match, to get one step closer to the World Cup finals in Germany. This is a very average Irish side, but that won't matter a whit tonight if they can elevate their performance one final time.

The atmosphere is guaranteed if the Irish team can produce even a half-decent performance with the roof, so to speak, likely to come off Lansdowne Road. It's a night match, which encourages that din and offers the perfect backdrop.

Kerr's biggest task is to ensure his players are focused and upbeat. Ireland might be missing their two best players in Roy Keane and Damien Duff, and be coming off a poor display in Cyprus, but the manager is going to have to gee up his troops. He can't allow them to wallow in negativity.

The team must create a suffocating, high-tempo, pressure-laden style that doesn't allow the Swiss to settle. It's what the team does best. We have players who are better at stopping other teams playing than being hugely creative, and it's important that we play to that strength.

Switzerland are likely to play just one man up front, and, on the evidence of their 1-1 draw at home to France, the main threat that they'll pose going forward is likely to come from Tranquilo Barnetta, who gave William Gallas a torrid evening.

It's important Kerr doesn't make too many changes. It seems John O'Shea will pay for the defensive shortcomings, while Mattie Holland, Andy Reid and Clinton Morrison will make the starting line-up if the most recent training formation is a barometer.

In central midfield, Holland and Graham Kavanagh shouldn't come out of their armchairs, as they must protect the back four. It's important they help to maintain that defensive shape of six players.

The last day the team was accused of lacking motivation and leadership, but if you look around there aren't too many, outside of Kenny Cunningham, to provide that direction. Holland's coming to the end of his international career, Kavanagh lacks experience while Dunne is concentrating on his own game. The perfect way to set the tone would be a tackle like the one Roy Keane hit Marc Overmars with: it would lift the crowd and galvanise the Irish team.

It's funny, but if the group schedule had panned out differently, with Ireland's latter matches coming at the start of the campaign - as with France - and the graph showing an upward spiral thereafter, there would be no talk about Kerr's future. It'd be assured.

There'll be plenty of good teams - just look at the Czech Republic's plight - who will struggle tonight and may end up ultimately missing out.

Ireland have got themselves into a position to reach the play-offs, a situation that they would have gladly embraced before the start of the campaign.

It's time that some of the senior players, like Shay Given, Robbie Keane, Kenny Cunningham and Stephen Carr, stepped forward and took responsibility for Ireland's fate.

It's a night for chests out, a sense of pride and for the strong to lead their team-mates to the play-offs

. . . and hopefully beyond.