Hallgrimsson is hoping to lead the Republic of Ireland to qualification for their first World Cup since 2002
Fifa World Cup qualifier: Republic of Ireland v Hungary
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 6 September Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said that his side's World Cup qualifying campaign is going to be a "sprint" and that getting off to a good start will be key.
Hallgrimsson's side face Hungary in their opening game at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday with Portugal and Armenia the other two sides in Group F.
The Icelandic manager believes a win against Hungary can be the springboard for success in such a condensed campaign with all six group games taking place over the next three months.
"This game is hugely important for the rest of the campaign given the nature of it, only six games in 70 days and it is going to be a sprint, so it is always nice in a sprint to be in the lead and not be chasing," he said.
"Everyone expects Portugal to be first then it's a small gap between Hungary and us in the Fifa world rankings.
"They are higher than us and you would expect it is going to be between us but there are going to dropped points in other places."
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'I feel the energy more now than I did a year ago'
Hallgrimsson is attempting to lead the Republic of Ireland to a first World Cup since 2002.
After a tough start to his reign, back-to-back wins against Bulgaria in a Nations League play-off in March and a draw with Senegal in June have helped lift morale in the Irish camp.
The manager believes players are growing in confidence and are ready for a serious push at qualification for a first major tournament since the 2016 Euros.
"The energy is coming, more and more leaders are emerging and that has been down to consistent messages to the players. It looks like the players are taller today than when I came a year ago. I feel the energy more now than I did a year ago," he added.
"I think we have a strong team, we are all in sync and tactically we have been improving every camp. It is a young squad in the past that didn't have many wins, but I think they can feel we are getting stronger every camp and I feel the same.
"The quality in this team is bigger than I had with Iceland. There is more individual quality in this team."
