However, he insists that is the case because he has brought success to clubs in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria, and he knows only making a similar impact in Ireland will keep the fans firmly on his side.

Trapattoni said: "The first moment as a coach or a player is like when you are just married, it is always happy.

"After one month or six months...That's life. It is like a family.

"I am lucky. I was in Portugal and the Portuguese were happy with me; I was in Germany and there are some Germans in our hotel playing golf and they are happy; also in Austria or Florence or Turin or Milan.

"I am lucky at the moment that it is again like that. Now everybody seems to be happy - but we will see a couple of months down the line."

However, what is certain is that Croke Park will be a sea of green tomorrow evening with 63,000 tickets having been sold by lunchtime today for Trapattoni's first international game.

It will not, though, be his first match in Ireland, having been a member of the AC Milan coaching staff in 1975 when the aristocrats from the San Siro were held to a 0-0 draw by Athlone Town in a UEFA Cup tie.

Milan won the second leg 3-0, but Trapattoni remembers the first game well and insists his team can take inspiration from it.

He said: "That is an important example for us. Athlone was a little team and AC was a famous team, but we drew.

"We can learn from Athlone."

Trapattoni will hand debuts to QPR full-back Damien Delaney and Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan in a line-up which will also include skipper Robbie Keane and defender Richard Dunne after they linked up with the squad on their return from Portugal yesterday.

However, Aiden McGeady picked up an injury as Celtic claimed their third successive league title last night and could miss out on both friendlies in the next week.

Champions League winner John O'Shea was due to arrive in the country this evening and train tomorrow morning, but his international manager knows exactly what the last 48 hours will have been like for him.

He said: "It is very difficult because I know what will have happened after they won.

"The night was a party until the morning."

Keane was excused from the trip to Portugal to give him a break after a long season at Tottenham amid claims he had been in Las Vegas for a stag party ahead of his marriage to fiancée Claudine Palmer next month.

The 27-year-old was not commenting on exactly where he had been, but did say: "I spoke with the manager and Liam Brady and the club wanted me to have 10 days' break.

"The club was supposed to go to South Korea and I didn't have to go on that, but then it was cancelled at the last minute, so they wanted me to rest because I have played so many games this season.

"I was lucky that I didn't get any injuries and miss one or two games, so I spoke to the manager and we agreed that I would have 10 days' rest, which if I am being honest, I certainly needed because it has been a long season for me.

"I had 10 days' break and no matter what I do in that 10 days, that's all personal stuff to me.

"I will clarify something: I wasn't in Las Vegas at any point. The last time I saw a slot machine was in Bray."