Ireland are not here to make up the numbers - Denise O'Sullivan

The vibes around the Republic of Ireland camp have been defiantly confident this week as they prepare to take on France in their opening Euro 2025 qualifier.

Herve Renard's slick, powerful team are ranked third in the world. They crushed Ireland 3-0 in a pre-World Cup friendly last July, and will be overwhelming favourites to get past them again when the teams colide in Metz on Friday night.

And yet Denise O'Sullivan can't wait for it. The Cork midfielder missed February's friendlies against Italy and Wales with a knee injury and her influence at the Stade Saint-Symphorie will be absolutely critical if the Girls in Green are to have any hope of plundering a positive result.

Big players always relish the chance to test themselves against the elite; game recognises game. O'Sullivan has plenty of respect for the French, but she holds no fear.

"I think as an athlete, a professional you want to be playing against the top teams in the world," she said.

"Now we have that opportunity, so I think we need to take it with both hands and go out and give it everything tomorrow night and see what happens.

"We know how good France are, but we’re not here to just make up the numbers. We’re here to compete and we’re here to go far and we’re really looking forward to it."

In the post mortem of Vera Pauw's departure as manager last August, one thing that cropped up frequently was the players' collective desire to play a more expansive brand of football.

They racked up the goals, and the wins, during a flawless UEFA Nations League campaign but this is a different kettle of fish. Ireland haven't faced a team as good as France since they played... well, France, last July.

They'll have to get the balance between taking the game to their hosts when