John Giles is confident that Ireland have enough to see off Wales on Friday, provided the attitude is right.
The Boys in Green are four points clear of Wales at the top of their 2018 World Cup qualifying group ahead of the Aviva Stadium clash and the result will have a crucial bearing on the hopes of both teams.
Ireland have to do without a number of injured players while Robbie Brady is suspended. Meanwhile, Wales have threats in the shape of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen among others in Dublin.
"I wouldn't build Wales up too much at all. They had a very good Euros. That's in the past. We had a good Euros and that's in the past," he said on Off The Ball.
"So I think if we play as well as we can play then I think we could beat them. I really do. But we have to have the attitude and I think Martin [O'Neill] will. We've got to go and try and win it and if you have to defend for 90 minutes, be prepared to do it. But don't set out to do it."
In terms of stopping Bale, he doesn't feel special attention should be placed on him in terms of man marking.
"If you start talking about him too much, you're building him up more and more. You don't want to build him up anymore than he is," said John, who admires Bale's talents.
"I wouldn't have a man marker on him. It would be a collective sense of knowing what he's about. But again, if we play as well as we know we can, then the best way of stopping Bale is to have the ball. You've still got to concentrate on your own game and if we concentrate on our own game, then I think we'll have enough of the ball."
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