Preview: Welsh hunger makes them a dangerous animal

The Republic of Ireland wade into the familiar waters of the play-offs in Cardiff tonight.

Beware: danger lurks beneath the surface of the pre-match pleasantries.

Two years ago the Girls in Green went into a winner-takes-all showdown against Scotland at Hampden Park as underdogs only to steal a victory that sent them to the World Cup.

Now they're back on that wobbly play-off tightrope; albeit this time the tie will be played over two legs, with the second game - crucially - in Dublin. That home advantage could be the grain of rice that tips the scales in Ireland's favour but there's no doubt they're up against it.

Rhian Wilkinson's Wales are slight underdogs given they're ranked four places lower and overcame relatively modest opposition in League B qualifying while Ireland were scrapping against England, France and Sweden. However there's a hunger about the Welsh that makes this a really tricky assignment; the type of hunger that only comes after pain.

Vera Pauw's Ireland team had it in Glasgow. A calamitous Aine O'Gorman own goal in Ukraine cost them dearly as they missed out on a place in the Euro 2021 play-offs. They were obsessively determined to right that wrong and they did it thanks to Courtney Brosnan's heroics and Amber Barrett's precise toepoke.

Wales know that pain too. Two years ago their dreams of reaching the World Cup were ruined when Switzerland grabbed a winner in the dying seconds of extra-time. That sort of hurt can be a potent weapon if you harness it correctly, which is exactly what the astute Wilkinson is trying to do.

She was respectful of the Irish in her pre-match press conference, but also pointedly reluctant to talk the up too much.

"I don't pay any attention to it," the Canadian said when it was put