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Score draw can get Republic of Ireland up and running at Euros

HAVE you heard about the big, strong man? He goes by the name of Zlatan. Of course we’ve all heard of him. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the man who plans to trample on Ireland’s dreams in Paris on Monday.

Sweden’s captain and talismanic striker is a boy’s own story. The son of immigrants, he rose from petty criminal days as a youth in the concrete jungles in the Malmo suburbs to become an international superstar - banging in goals and lifting trophies in Holland, Italy, Spain and, last season, France.

He - and his Sweden team - is the first hurdle Ireland have to overcome at this tournament and the self-professed 'legend' was in typically brash form ahead of of Monday night’s Group E opener: “I’m getting better with every year that passes,” he said.

“The legend can still deliver. I have been dominating wherever I go and I feel very confident. I have had a strong season behind me. Mentally, I feel very strong and I have come here to enjoy this tournament.”

Euro 2016 is the perfect platform for Zlatan to sign off on his remarkable career with Sweden and, if Ireland let him play, it could be the beginning of the end for the Boys in Green. Then again, if they get the better of him, it’ll be the start of a memorable tournament.

And so, the challenge is clear - keep Zlatan out of it and they have a chance. They’ve done it before - he failed to find the net in Stockholm or Dublin during the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. However, it’s worth remembering that others in yellow-and-blue stepped up to score the goals in a 2-1 win at the Aviva and, while Ibrahimovic is undoubtedly the main man, there are several other threats to concern Martin O’Neill.

Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg is strong, quick and direct on the left-wing, while Marcus Berg is likely to play close to the Republic goal and allow Ibrahimovic to drop deep and find space between Ireland’s midfield and back-line.

Former Arsenal midfielder Kim Kallstrom, now at Grasshoppers in Switzerland, anchors midfield, but the Swedes are far from watertight at the back, although the emergence of Benfica centre-half Victor Nilsson Lindelof has restored some of the solidity that was a feature of the sides of the previous decade. Celtic’s Mikael Lustig will play at right-back to help Seb Larsson deal with Robbie Brady.

Sweden manager Erik Hamren expects the early exchanges to be pivotal on Monday evening: “The first 20 minutes are very important and it’s important to feel you are getting into the game,” he said.

“We always have the same ambition. We expect this to be an intensive game. It can be about the small details that don’t go the way we want. Passes can go wrong, aerial challenges and tackles can go wrong and those things can change the way a game goes. It’s as important for Ireland as well.”

Republic manager O’Neill said it was “a great feeling” to be in Paris and how long it lasts depends on results. O’Neill knows Monday’s clash is important, but he doesn’t see it as a ‘must-win’ encounter: “It’s very, very important of course,” he said.

“It would be great to get off to a great start and I'm sure that Sweden are targeting us in the sense that they feel that this game against us would give them a great chance. It was interesting to hear the comments from the Wales camp, who said that, if they didn’t win the first game, they weren’t out of it and that winning would give them a great chance, but there’d still be work to do. That’s exactly the way I feel about it. The way the competition is set up, I think we should still be fighting for something by the third game.”

Kilrea native O’Neill declined to reveal his starting XI, but admitted he had “a team in mind”. Captain Robbie Keane says he is “ready for selection” and is certain he still has the legs to operate at this level.

“I’ve trained the last five days and I feel fine and of course I’m ready for selection,” said Ireland’s record goalscorer.

“I’ve been doing it since I was 17 years of age and I continue to do it. There’s certainly goals left in me, there’s no question about that. I’m fairly confident in my ability and given the opportunity first and foremost I’ll do my best for the team but if there’s a chance there I’ll go and take it.”

Keane will be a handy option off the bench but Shane Long has to start up front. The Southampton striker has the pace to trouble the Sweden defence and the ability to hold the ball up and bring Ireland’s wide players - particularly full-backs Seamus Coleman and Robbie Brady - into the game. Brady’s role from set-pieces is vitally important and Ireland will be on the look-out for free-kicks and corners for the Norwich City man to launch into the Sweden box with his cannon of a left boot.

Elsewhere, Wes Hoolahan, a class act who has kept a low profile this week, should play in behind Long in a five-man midfield that will probably include James McCarthy and Jeff Hendrick. Disciplined Glenn Whelan will operate as a holding midfielder protecting the central defensive pairing of John O’Shea and, given the way he handled Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko, Richard Keogh.

Four years ago the team trained hard and the fans sang long into the Polish nights but when the cork came off the Irish bottle there was no fizz. The first game of Euro 2012 against Croatia was a flat anti-climax and it got worse from there as a 4-0 loss to Spain meant Ireland were out before the third group game. We were only there for the sing-song.

Will it be better this time? There are concerns. There’s a lack of pace in central-defence, a lack of goals in midfield and an over-reliance on Brady’s set-pieces, but Ireland are dreaming again of famous goals and famous wins.

The feeling is that, if Ireland stop Zlatan, they stop Sweden. It’s hard to see them doing that for 90 minutes, but a 1-1 draw would get them up-and-running.