However, the 72-year-old Italian's game-plan has rarely wavered during his tenure to date and Stoke midfielder Whelan is not expecting any significant change in emphasis as the campaign nears its climax.

He said: "You don't want to be gung-ho and 2-0, 3-0 down after 10, 15 minutes.

"We have to go into the game the way we have done before, hard to beat, and then hopefully we can get a few goals ourselves.

"But we know we need to win if we want to get out of the group. We are trying to get three points.

"With the manager we have got, I don't think he has ever put us into a game going out for a draw. We have always gone out to win, and hopefully we can do that on Friday."

Group B could hardly be any more finely balanced with the Republic, Russia and Slovakia all level at the top of the table on 13 points, and the next few days could see the picture develop substantially.

Russia won 3-2 in Dublin in October and four days later, Ireland drew 1-1 in Slovakia with skipper Robbie Keane passing up an opportunity to clinch all three points when he missed a penalty.

However, back-to-back qualifier victories over Macedonia have kept Trapattoni's men firmly in the race, although they know three points on Friday night are vital if they are to keep alive their hopes of emerging as group winners.

That said, Whelan is happy enough with the position in which he and his team-mates currently find themselves.

He said: "It's obviously where you would want to be, you would want to be at the top or thereabouts.

"We know going into the next two games it is going to be massive and it is going to be crucial for us in the next couple of games to qualify and get out of this group on top, hopefully."

The Republic head into the Slovakia game on the back of an unbeaten five-game run which includes four victories, one of them over former World champions Italy in Liege, Belgium, at the end of last season.

It is a measure of how far they have come under Trapattoni that they remain disappointed with the point they collected in Zilina in the first clash with the Slovakians, although they are equally aware that they can take nothing for granted on Friday night.

Whelan said: "They are a good side. On the night when you look at it, we were a little bit disappointed only coming away with a point.

"If Robbie (Keane) puts the penalty away, it's a different game, but especially after the result we had had a few nights before against Russia, it was a big improvement, a big performance that we needed to put in to stay involved in this group.

"Like I say, we were disappointed coming away with only a point. But the way we have done over the last five, six games - we have done really well.

"We are unbeaten, we haven't conceded many goals, and that gives you confidence. You are going into the games knowing what you have come off the back of results-wise.

"But the manager has always been confident in what we can do and he never changes. I just think it's a confidence thing now, that we know we can go into any game and hopefully win it no matter who we are playing against."