-published at 18:30 Sept. 7, 2015
When Georgia went 1-0 up against Scotland on Friday, Irish ears pricked up expectantly. We are now one step closer to getting knocked out in the first round of Euro 2016.
Valeri Qazaishvili has been nominated for inclusion in the Gary Mackay Hall of Fame, though he will only be admitted if Ireland succeed in doing the business.
Unfortunately, Ireland now have to play Georgia at home. It feels like Ireland have played thousands of such games over the years. Usually, there are a few wobbles but we sneak out of there in with a 1-0 win (indeed, Ireland have never not beaten Georgia in five meetings).
The game hasn't been accompanied by much in the way of hype. In case you don't decide to watch it (you really should, Ireland actually have a chance of qualifying) here are 12 things that will definitely happen in tonight's match (out on limb here).
Our Pre-match live blog
7 mins - Looking dangerously slick on the ball, the Georgians will give us an early scare. A corner will almost go in direct. Shay Given will push the ball against the post and reclaim it while everyone else exhales.
20 mins - Someone will tweet about how poor this soccer lark looks compared to the hurling yesterday.
30 mins - An increasingly exasperated Ronnie Whelan will say something along the lines of 'we need to get it down and play more'.
39 mins - Robbie Keane will attempt another dummy run which fails to come off. At this stage, defenders are more shocked if he attempts to control the ball.
44 mins - Someone inside the ground will tweet their annoyance at the loudness of the stadium PA announcer.
HALF-TIME - Still 0-0. Eamon Dunphy will lay the blame for all Ireland's ills at James McCarthy's door. The rest of the panel will agree but will be less emphatic in their disdain.
67 mins - James McClean will be brought on to deliver 'an injection of intensity'.
68 mins - James McClean receives a yellow card for a reckless lunge at the Georgian full back.
75 mins - The FAI will announce the attendance to sarcastic applause.
79 mins - Jonathan Walters will score after the Georgians make a miserable fist of attempting to clear a corner.
88 mins - Ronnie Whelan will struggle for Man of the Match. Will eventually plump for the goalscorer.
FULL-TIME: A 1-0 win. The lads will praise the result but express disdain for the performance. James McCarthy will get another blast. Liam Brady will assert that Giovanni Trapattoni's decision to ignore him for so long has been vindicated. Will utter more words of praise for Giovanni Trapattoni. He wont get a rise out of Dunphy however, who has moved on to other targets.
