Nations League Group B2: Republic of Ireland v England
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 7 September Kick-off: 17:00 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
Heimir Hallgrimsson says he hopes to emulate his famous victory with Iceland over England in his first game as Republic of Ireland boss, but concedes the Three Lions side are “totally different” to the one he faced at Euro 2016.
As co-manager of his native country alongside Lars Lagerback, Hallgrimsson helped condemn England to one of their most embarrassing defeats when Iceland beat Roy Hodgson’s side in the last 16 of the European Championship in France.
But Hallgrimsson sounded a note of caution to those perhaps dreaming of a similarly momentous result for Irish football in Saturday’s Nations League fixture in Dublin.
“It is a totally different England team,” said Hallgrimsson, who was a surprise choice to replace Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager.
“The individual quality, the technical skills and speed of this team is much higher than the one we played.
“They are coming off a good tournament. The biggest difference is they had two months together [at the Euros] and we have three days to prepare. They come here on a high and have players who play in the Champions League day in and day out.”
Hallgrimsson, who also led Iceland to 2018 World Cup qualification following Lagerback’s exit, says Iceland’s 2-1 win in Nice was a game where everything went his side’s way.
“We were just speaking about it in the car to here. That night was special,” he recalled.
“Everything we did that night succeeded – tactical, taking our chances, defending our goal. Nothing that England tried that night succeeded. It was just one of those days.”
Saturday’s game is full of intrigue and subplots, from it being the first competitive encounter between the sides in Dublin since 1990 to the return of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, both of whom opted to represent England after coming through the Republic of Ireland’s underage system.
There is also interest in the men who will occupy the technical areas. Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley, who had been linked with the Irish job, leads England for the first time in his interim role following Gareth Southgate’s departure.
As for Hallgrimsson, there is hope that the 57-year-old can transform the fortunes of an Irish team that managed just 11 wins in 40 games under Kenny.
But the former Jamaica boss was giving little away on the eve of his first home match in charge.
Asked when he will inform the players of his line-up, a smiling Hallgrimsson said: “Basically, it is none of your business when I talk to the players about the line-up.
“Usually I have done it matchday-1 in the afternoon, so the players can sleep on the starting line-up. That is the normal way. If I do it now, I’m not sure.”
And when asked if the Republic of Ireland fans can expect to see a different shape or style under him, he responded: “You’ll see when we kick-off. We’re not going to talk about how we play or our tactics.
“You will know that, but it’s a fair question.”
When asked how his side can secure what would be the Republic of Ireland’s first win over England since Euro 1988, Hallgrimsson said his players must function collectively.
“I’m really excited to see the atmosphere in this massive game against England, to see if we can transfer what we’ve done in training into the pitch.
“Man for man, going gung-ho, we’d probably lose nine times out of 10. It is better being a collective.”