Group context makes it pivotal for Ireland to secure six-point haul from Greece and Gibraltar games - Keith Treacy

The cut-throat nature of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifying group makes it imperative for Stephen Kenny's side to pick up six points from the upcoming qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar, according to Keith Treacy.

The Boys in Green put in a good performance in their opener against World Cup finalists France in March but with that yielding a narrow defeat, there will be pressure to get points on the board from Friday's trip to Athens followed by Gibraltar's visit to Dublin on Monday.

Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, former Ireland midfielder Treacy said Ireland had little room for error to give themselves a sliver of hope in a group featuring the French and the Netherlands.

"We all sort of expected to be beaten by France but what we wanted to do was show that we can evolve and show that we can play a bit of football," he said.

"For large periods, we kept [Kylian] Mbappe quiet, we kept [Antoine] Griezmann quiet and we did really well in the game.

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"But this is the one everyone had their eye on, the double-header of Greece and Gibraltar. I think six points are an absolute must, I really do.

"We need to beat Greece home and away, we need to beat Gibraltar home and away to try and get third place.

"And I think if we finish third in this group, we can't have any real complaints when you think that the French and the Dutch are going to be ahead of us in the group.

"But we need to beat Greece home and away and Gibraltar home and away and then can we get something against