Republic of Ireland must 'dig in' against Portugal

O'Brien has won nine caps for Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland defender Jake O'Brien said his side must put last month's embarrassing 2-0 defeat by Armenia "behind them".

O'Brien started the game in Yerevan in September as the Republic of Ireland were outplayed by a side ranked 105th in the world.

But the Everton defender says the defeat is "definitely in the back of our heads" as Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad build towards Saturday's trip to Portugal.

"We know as much as anyone how bad of a performance it was, but we try and put it behind us and head into the game with a clear mind and be positive," O'Brien said.

"We have briefly looked back, but we are looking to put it behind us as fast as we can because it was negative."

Portugal sit top of Group F with maximum points from their first two games and are unbeaten in each of their six home games against the Republic of Ireland.

They recently won 3-0 in a June 2024 friendly in which O'Brien made his international debut, but the Everton defender believes his side are capable of getting a result in Lisbon if they produce a good performance.

"It's Portugal - we know they are a top team, so we are not expecting to get on the ball and have 60-70% possession. That is their game, but we have to dig in and be defensively compact and not give them anything silly," he added.

"We will have moments in the game to break through and that's what we're looking at, when those moments come, making sure we get it right.

"We're good enough to get a performance out there and result. We have four games to put it right and it starts this weekend."