Ireland look to keep momentum going against Lithuania

Stephen Kenny will have learned a lot from Ireland's impressive 2-2 draw with Belgium on Saturday, however, one thing that surely stood out from the clash with the world number one-ranked side was the importance of continuity in the team.

The high-profile visitors arrived in Dublin with manager Roberto Martinez leaving a large chunk of his starting eleven on sabbatical, and as a result, the Belgium side that played at the Aviva Stadium were unrecognisable from the team that will take to the field in their first World Cup match later this year.

Martinez had his reasons for bringing a second-string squad to Dublin, claiming he would have learned little from playing his first team regulars, yet what did he really learn from playing a completely new-look side?

Very little, you might imagine, and if it was individual performances that he was looking for, it is perhaps symptomatic of his side that they are known more for their player profiles rather than their team unity – and it has been exposed at the last few major tournaments.

Perhaps Kenny does not have the luxury of choosing from such a vast and talented pool of players compared his Belgian counterpart, however, the Ireland manager would appear to be more in tune with the need to have a recognisable and consistent contingent playing from game to game.

Momentum is one of the key words around this Ireland team in recent months, and having gone seven unbeaten, the manager is unlikely to allow that run to be threatened against Lithuania at Lansdowne Road tonight.

There will be changes, no doubt, but they will be limited and calculated, with experienced players like Seamus Coleman and perhaps James McClean sitting this one out, while bringing like for like from the next generation