By Richard O'Reilly
The Republic of Ireland take on Serbia tonight in their Group D World Cup Qualifier, knowing a win is vital.
Martin O'Neill's men currently sit in second place in the group, two points behind tonight's opponents.
The Boys in Green head into the game on the back of an insipid 1-1 draw against Georgia in Tiblisi on Saturday.
With only three games left to play, a win tonight over Serbia would see The Republic of Ireland leapfrog the Serbs into top spot.
Ready. 🇮🇪 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/tRcGPMdDZ5
— FAIreland (@FAIreland) September 4, 2017
Only the group leaders are assured of World Cup qualification with 8 of the 9 runners-up heading to the playoffs.
As it stands, the unbeaten Republic of Ireland are narrowly outside the playoff points tally.
A poor result for O'Neill's side, could leave the Boys in Green with a fight on their hands to even reach the playoffs.
Kickoff at the Aviva Stadium is 7:45