England cannot afford to be complacent

But Eriksson quite rightly insists: "It would be nice to give the fans a really exciting performance against Ireland but the priority is to ensure we get the three points."

Only the top team qualifies automatically from England's six-nation group. The runners-up move into the play-offs. What is already clear is that England and Poland will almost certainly occupy the top two places, though who finishes first remains to be seen.

If both teams win all their remaining matches, which is quite possible, the final tie will be the decider - England against Poland at Old Trafford in October.

England enjoy a one-point lead, though the Poles could go to the top of the group when they visit Azerbaijan in June.

England have no fixture that month because Eriksson went out of his way to win favour with the big Premiership clubs by keeping June free of World Cup ties. Instead, he arranged a short tour to the United States in May, but even that has irritated some of the clubs.

What has perhaps alarmed Eriksson is the way Poland have amassed a maximum nine points from three away games after losing 2-1 at home to England. If they win their next five games, all at home apart from the visit to Azerbaijan, they could make the final qualifying tie at Old Trafford a very anxious evening for Eriksson.

They would need to win to qualify automatically, unlike the Poles in 1973, when a 1-1 draw at Wembley denied England a place in the finals in West Germany and cost Ramsey his job.

So, Eriksson wants England to retain the upper hand and their onepoint advantage over the Poles. To be sure of doing this they must win their next five ties, starting against the Irish.

On paper there is no question that England have a vastly better team. The Irish have won only twice in the last 54 encounters, dating back to 1928, and have rarely had to face an England side that was so obviously superior.

Lawrie Sanchez, the Irish manager who championed the cause of the underdog when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon against Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final, must surely come up with a game plan designed to keep the score respectable.

"Even the English fans will want us to put up a bit of a performance," he said. "My players will be competitive. I have no problem with that. I want them to tackle hard." Newcastle's Aaron Hughes, one of the few Premiership players in the Irish side, has to organise a disciplined response to the quality of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney while Leeds United's David Healy, with 16 goals in 39 appearances for the Irish, must try to find a route past John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

It's difficult to see anything other than a handsome England victory.