O’Neill warns of threat from ‘world class’ Bale

MARTIN O’NEILL likes to point out that the Republic of Ireland kept Gareth Bale on a tight rein when the teams cancelled each other out in Dublin in the World Cup.

He rarely mentions the injured Bale’s absence from the return in Cardiff 10 months ago where James McClean’s goal decided the game.

For the reunion of the Celtic cousins in Cardiff on Thursday, Bale (right) is back and he’s started the season on fire for Real Madrid with two goals in two La Liga games before last night.

Clapping Bale in irons on his home turf is a huge challenge for Ireland. ‘Any time you’ve a world class player at your disposal, there’s a chance of winning the game,’ said O’Neill.

‘He scored a wonderful goal in the Champions League final and said afterwards he was disappointed not to start the game. Not starting for Real Madrid? That’s what we’re up against.

‘Gareth Bale was a big part of the reason why Wales got to the Euro semi-final. Bigger nations than us have had difficulty keeping him in check. But that’s part of our challenge.’

For the visit last October, Ireland had to win, whereas the test now is to finish with sufficient points in the three-team group, which includes Denmark, to be sure of second place at worst.

That will guarantee a second seeding in the draw for the Euro 2020 qualifiers on December 2.