Noel King will send the Republic of Ireland out against Kazakhstan under orders to end a disappointing campaign by giving themselves a head-start for the next one.
Victory at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night could see Ireland included among the second group of seeds for the Euro 2016 qualifying draw as they attempt to bounce back from their failure to make it to next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil.
As a result, while there is little tangible at stake in terms of their Group C standing, there is still much for which to play.
King said: "If we win and a couple of other matches go accordingly, we will be a second seed, so it's huge, there's huge pressure on it.
"The boys will be aware of this and in terms of seeding for the next group, seeding is critical. If you can get a second seed, well that would be great, better than great.
"It gives you a real opportunity of qualifying for the tournament."
Under-21s manager King was handed interim charge of the Republic after Giovanni Trapattoni was shown the door last month when their lingering hopes of booking a ticket to South America were effectively dashed by successive defeats by Sweden and Austria.
That left Ireland sitting in fourth place in the group ahead of only minnows the Faroe Islands and the Kazakhs.
Kazakhstan collected their fifth point with a 1-1 draw in the Faroes on Friday evening as the Republic lost 3-0 in Germany.
However, asked if he would be embarrassed if he did not emerge with a victory at the Aviva Stadium, King said: "It depends on the manner of game.
Source: PA
