Republic of Ireland must somehow silence superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic when they open their Euro 2016 campaign against Sweden at the Stade de France tomorrow.
In a Group E also containing Italy and much-fancied Belgium, a defeat for either side could be a decisive blow to their prospects of reaching the last 16.
At 34, Manchester United target Ibrahimovic is probably gracing a major international tournament for the last time after scoring 11 times during qualifying for Erik Hamren’s men.
“He’s a good player but you can’t single him out because they have others who can score goals, as they proved against Wales when there were three goal-scorers and he wasn’t one of them,” reasoned Ireland’s veteran goalkeeper Shay Given, who is back-up to first choice Darren Randolph.
“Still he’s a fantastic player, one of the best centre-forwards in the world, but we’ve got to keep him quiet and the rest of them quiet as well.”
Ibrahimovic is familiar with the Stade de France, where he made the last appearance of a prolific four-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup final against Marseille three weeks ago. Having left Paris, a move to Old Trafford appears to be on the cards and speculation surrounding his future has partly overshadowed Sweden’s build-up to tournament.