It is the game which , ultimately , could define the success or otherwise of Martin O ’ Neill and Roy Keane ’ s expensive Republic of Ireland tenure . Installed amid much fanfare 18 months ago , £1million-per-year O ’ Neill and his assistant Keane , with a £600,000 salary , were given a remit of qualification for Euro 2016 , a task made easier by the expansion to a 24-team format . Defeat against Poland at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday evening , however , would all but end hope of automatic progression to the finals in France , leaving Ireland to do battle with Scotland for the play-off berth . The mood here is not optimistic . Martin O'Neill , manager of the Republic of Ireland , needs to prove his worth with victory over Poland . O'Neill and Roy Keane ( left ) were given big salaries and asked to reach the 2016 European Championships . An inquest , you feel , awaits O ’ Neill and his regime should they fail to beat the group leaders . One newspaper described their manager as ‘ bookish and vaguely befuddled ’ , and noted the ‘ carnage ’ which follows Keane . There has been a definite effort to play down the chaos around Keane this week and the No 2 gave an untypically subdued and low-key performance in front of the press . O ’ Neill ignored the opinion pieces which have called into question his impact since he arrived and kept all talk to football . He said : ‘ The importance of the occasion should not be missed . Defeat would be a big dent in our hopes of automatic qualification . It might not decide everything , but it is very significant . We have to try to win . If the Republic of Ireland fail to beat Poland , their hopes of automatic qualification will be all but over . O'Neill and Keane take a training session at Gannon Park as the team prepare for Sunday 's big match . ‘ I ’ ve said all along that the home games will shape our destiny . This is the first of that group . We have to make them count . ‘ We can change all of that ( negative talk ) with one result and one fantastic performance . We will not get very far with a pessimistic approach and I ’ m not overly concerned with what people say before the game . ‘ We have given ourselves a chance ( of qualification ) but we will have to be right on top of our game to win this match. ’ One criticism of O ’ Neill is that he does not know his preferred XI or , indeed , formation . He said this week that players could win a starting place should they impress at their coastal training base in Malahide . Keane hands out instructions to the Republic of Ireland players during a training session . Sunday 's game takes place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin ; the Republic of Ireland 's home ground . One player not guaranteed to start is captain Robbie Keane . He was dropped for the morale-shattering 1-0 defeat in Scotland in November . The LA Galaxy striker , 34 , said : ‘ That ’ s up to the manager ( if I play ) . ‘ I ’ ll be ready whether that ’ s from the bench or starting . I ’ m the captain , I have to set an example . ‘ But I wouldn ’ t be here if I didn ’ t think I could make a difference . I still want to be the best . I have that hunger. ’ Keane , sensing the air of negativity , added : ‘ It ’ s up to us to make this a turning point . Victory would give this squad and country a huge confidence boost. ’ Lose and it could prove an awfully long three months for O ’ Neill before they host Scotland . Win , and that £1m salary would look like a shrewd investment .
Republic of Ireland face Poland at the Aviva Stadium on 600,000-a-year . Failure to win would all but end their hopes of automatic qualification . 18 months ago , Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane were given £1million and £Sunday salaries , and asked to qualify for Euro 2016 . The pair need to prove their worth when they take to the pitch on 600,000-a-year .