After surprising all but the most audacious in his choice of the team which lost to Croatia, Mick McCarthy is set to revert to type when he names his side to face Malta in the Ta'Qali stadium tomorrow evening.

McCarthy, still upbeat about the Republic of Ireland's hopes of topping Group Eight in the European championship, insists that he knows the team he wants to put in the field against the Maltese.

And the general public may concur, that with one or two exceptions, perhaps, the selection should take no longer than the time it takes to put 11 names on paper.

The doubts are down the left flank where Steve Staunton is again under pressure to hold on, in the face of the rival claims of Ian Harte and the midfield position in which Damien Duff could push Kevin Kilbane close for a place in the starting line up.

Staunton is one of those only too willing to complete the gruelling programme of three games in the space of eight days, a schedule which in his case, is aggravated by the heat. Because of his fair complexion, he has never been particularly comfortable in these conditions, a fact which impinged on his performances in the 1994 World Cup finals.

Since setting down in Valletta early on Sunday morning, team members and the thousands of supporters who are here to cheer them, have sweltered in temperatures which, on occasions, have climbed into the high eighties. But Staunton claims that he has not had any discomfort.

"Because of the unusual weather in England in the last couple of months, I think most of us are now able to handle the heat a little better. And the fact that the game kicks off at 6.30 (local time) is also a big help."

Coincidentally, Harte was the other squad member chosen to accompany Staunton at yesterday's press conference and sitting just a couple of feet apart, the senior player was only too ready to sing the emerging talents of his fellow Co Louth man.

"I think he's started the season where he left off last season - and that's right at the top of his form," says Staunton. "Leeds may be one or two players short of a title winning team but Ian's certainly not going to let anyone down this season."

Kilbane, amply justified McCarthy's faith in him, with a bright, invigorating performance against Yugoslavia and with Duff struggling to impose himself on his return from injury in Zagreb, the odds favour the West Brom player keeping his place. But McCarthy, seldom less than loyal to those who have served him well in the past, will still ponder Duff's claims carefully.

If the manager feels under pressure about his decision to leave out Robbie Keane among others, for the Croatian game, its not immediately apparent. And speaking ahead of the Coventry player's anticipated return tomorrow, he said.

"Robbie was fit last Saturday but I felt that it wasn't the game for him. Had he played, we would still have been doing what we did, it wouldn't have changed anything. I didn't need him dropping back to make tackles but now as a result of that rest, he'll be able to provide the bit of spark we'll need to break down the Maltese.

"This game will be no different from any of the others in which Ireland played Malta. It will be all about our ability to break down a strong, massed defence - and the sooner it happens, the better."

McCarthy confirmed that four of those involved in the double programme to date, Staunton, Ken Cunningham, Gary Breen and Mark Kinsella are under treatment for injuries. The expectation is, however, that all four will be cleared after fitness tests in training this morning.

Kinsella, recovering from a damaged knee, would represent a serious loss, for against Yugoslavia and again in the Croatia game, he was frequently inspirational, both in the amount of work he undertook and his ability to keep it going, right into the dying minutes of both matches.

There were fears that with Charlton's demotion to the Nationwide First Division championship, the Dubliner would have problems in retaining the form which made him an instant success on his elevation to the international team. Happily, those fears have not so far been substantiated, thus investing his fight for fitness with even greater urgency here.

With both his first choice centre backs under treatment, the Ireland manager will be checking on the progress of Phil Babb in training but at this point, the chances of the out of form Liverpool player returning to the centre of the defence, are slim.

Babb is one of those who have not so far been actively involved since the squad assembled in Dublin 10 days ago but there is no question of McCarthy selecting players, solely for the reason of giving them a game.

"My only concern is to win games and by extension, to select the players to do it for me. I am not about to go picking people, just to make them feel good. Players should feel honoured just to be part of a squad like this."

It was confirmed yesterday that Igor Stimac, the Croatian centre back, and not Niall Quinn, was the player booked in an incident late in Saturday's game. At one point, the Spanish referee appeared to show Quinn a yellow card but UEFA have made it clear that the Sunderland player was not in fact, disciplined.

It still leaves five players, Kinsella, Keane, Kilbane, Lee Carsley and Alan McLoughlin on yellow cards and the prospect of incurring automatic exclusion from the last qualifying game against Macedonia on October 11th if they again fall foul of the referee tomorrow. But McCarthy doesn't believe that it will effect the level of their performances.

"They know that if they do anything stupid, they're going to be in trouble but I still expect them to be contesting 50-50 situations with as much conviction as ever," he said.

To the 1,500 Irish fans who turned up in Zagreb last Saturday, may be added another 5,000 for tomorrow's game. Many of them have arranged family holidays in Malta to coincide with the game and Irish flags and emblems hung from almost every building in the centre of Valletta yesterday.

By all accounts, they may well be in the majority in the Ta'Qali stadium tomorrow evening. Maltese officials have upped the prices for seats to £15 and £20 for the game with the cheapest ticket for adults, priced at £10. That is approximately, double the normal admission charges, prompting one local to suggest yesterday that the only Maltese people at the game will be those involved in the corporate functions.