After stumbling through the World Cup European Zone Group 4 Qualifying stages up to now, France have recalled the old guard. Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makalele, and Lilliam Thuram have dusted off the international boots they had thought theyd laid to rest, and answered their country's call.

In an effort to avert a French National sporting disaster, the "Big Guns" are back to fire one more time, and the trio, along with the rest of the French team, now face the Republic of Ireland in a crucial match for both teams.

The loser of this one could well find themselves near the underbelly of a very tight group. With the finish line now approaching rapidly, Wednesday nights Group 4 clash will play a big part in deciding who goes to the FIFA World Cup Finals automatically, and who has to face a play-off, and who will miss out on the greatest show on earth, come the final matches on the, 8th and 12th of October .

The midfield clash of Ireland's Captain Roy Keane, and France's Patrick Viera should be a classic one. This World cup campaign will surely be Keanes last, and Viera too won't know for sure that he'll have another, by which time he'd be 34. The stakes could not be higher for both men, in what could be the last time these two come head to head on an International stage.

The atmosphere inside Dublin's Landsdowne Road, will be electric, and Ireland will be hoping that can give them the edge on the night, and put them in a great position in the group with rivals Switzerland still to play. A win for france though would leave them in the same situation, with Ireland playing catch up.

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