United Irish face moment of truth against Cameroon

Of all 32 World Cup teams, there will be few as relieved as the Republic of Ireland to start playing football over the next few days. Keen to play? You bet. Keane to play? Sadly only one of them. As they prepare to take on Cameroon in Niigata early tomorrow, the sense of release has to be balanced against the enormity of the occasion.

After all the emotional stress of the past week – anyone who thinks it has been exaggerated need only look into the eyes of the players' spokesman Niall Quinn – it would undoubtedly have helped for Ireland's first match at any major tournament for eight years to have been a gentler reintroduction than the first game to be played in Japan, with all the razzmatazz of an opening ceremony to boot.

Then there is the little matter of crossing the white line without their best player to confront the champions of Africa, who have recently shown up extremely well in 2-2 draws against Argentina and England; not exactly naked into battle, but wondering, perhaps, whether a discreetly-placed shield has not been mislaid during the confusion and chaos in the ranks. Although Roy Keane has played in only 12 of the Republic's last 22 matches, which have brought Mick McCarthy's team just two defeats, he has been there for the big ones, and been immense. Only in the second leg of the play-off against Iran last November was he missing, on the understanding that he would be released if a "positive result" was achieved in the first leg.

Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland held the centre on that occasion and must now do so again. They will have the Sunderland pair Jason McAteer and Kevin Kilbane outside them, McAteer having recovered from his knee injury, while Robbie Keane and Damien Duff test Rigobert Song and a suspect Cameroon back-line.

Fitness considerations apart, the only other choice to be made is whether Kenny Cunningham, Gary Breen or even Newcastle's Andy O'Brien partner the captain Steve Staunton, who is due to win his 99th cap at the heart of the defence. Squad numbers and recent selections indicate that Cunningham will be McCarthy's preference, though Breen's greater height and pace would be more of an asset.

Whoever is chosen will be up against a formidable attacking pair, if another Sunderland man, Patrick Mboma, passes a check on his foot injury to partner Real Mallorca's pacy Samuel Eto'o. Cameroon will have Geremi of Real Madrid and Pierre Womé of Bologna hitting long crossfield passes from wide midfield positions to each other and the two strikers, but McCarthy is confident about his side's ability to deal with a 3-5-2 formation: "We've played against it regularly and we're able to adapt."

On the inevitable question about whether the Keane saga has taken a toll on the players, he was equally bullish: "Despite all that's gone on, I think they've done superbly. The training's been sharp, they've been focused and I can't compliment them enough. But it's performances and results on the pitch that will count. That was the same when we set off for Japan and it's no different now. Maybe there's just a little bit more emphasis on it."

Unquestionably there is and the manager is under more scrutiny than anyone; if Kinsella and Holland were to be outplayed in midfield (where Cameroon will have an extra man) and defeat resulted for a Keane-less team, the knives sheathed among the Irish press and public would be sharpened.

Yesterday, on a visit to the Izumo shrine – dedicated, a little ironically in the circumstances, to the goddess of good relationships – McCarthy had his fortune told. It said he was of sound mind (which he must have doubted once or twice during the past week) and would not get hurt. He does not deserve to, but his players will have to be at their best tomorrow to prevent it.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (probable) (4-4-2): Given (Newcastle United); Finnan (Fulham), Cunningham (Wimbledon), Staunton (Aston Villa), Harte (Leeds United); McAteer (Sunderland), Kinsella (Charlton), Holland (Ipswich), Kilbane (Sunderland); Keane (Leeds United), Duff (Blackburn).

CAMEROON (probable) (3-5-2): Alioum (Samsusport); Kalla (Extremadura), Song (Cologne), Tchato (Montpellier); Geremi (Real Madrid), Lauren (Arsenal), Foé (Lyon), Olembé (Marseille), Womé (Bologna); Eto'o (Real Mallorca), Mboma (Sunderland).

Referee: T Kamikawa (Japan).

TV coverage: Tomorrow: 7.30am BBC1.