Sofia is a city with a story to tell. Fate placed it in a location where conflict and drama was inevitable.

Through the Byzantine era, into the reign of the Ottoman Empire and, latterly, the Balkan and World Wars, this old place always found itself in the centre of the action. Sometimes by choice, sometimes by circumstance. When you’re close to the crossroads between East and West, it comes with the territory.

The trivialities of sport pale into insignificance alongside those tales but, in its own little bubble, Irish football has its own scars to show from the Bulgarian capital.

Securing the right result this evening would erase some of those memories. This Irish team has reached its own crossroads. Pass through this obstacle in one piece, and travelling southerly next summer will become an even more realistic ambition.

Giovanni Trapattoni relishes these kind of occasions. The organised chaos of the press conferences, where local photographers fall over themselves for the money shot, and the resident football anoraks thrilled by his presence get the opportunity to ask questions that have been running through their heads for years; often with little or no relevance to the real business of what’s going on here.

Never mind that this is a World Cup qualifier with extreme importance for both countries. What we really need to know is, why the hell did he let Emil Kostadinov leave Bayern Munich in 1996?

Smiles and gesticulation. And, more importantly, deflection. The good thing about the Italian is that he absorbs the circus which surrounds these fixtures, effectively leaving the players to do their own thing.

It means relaxation in the preliminaries but come 8.30pm this evening, it will be a different story. Save for a few spare seats at the Irish end, the punters will be crammed into the Vasil Levski Stadium and the locals are convinced that a tempestuous occasion will follow.

Once more, yesterday, Trapattoni sprung for the old David and Goliath analogy but considering the situation in Group Eight, it’s hard to decipher which is which here. For all the Bulgarians may emit a degree of arrogance, nothing but victory will be enough. Otherwise, it’s over.

“We know the importance,” said Trapattoni, “We know how important it will be for us to concentrate, we have watched many DVDs, many games, and we know they have the famous players here. They are clever, they are creative, and we need to be 100 percent concentrated.”

The over-riding sentiment is that the Republic need to show respect, but they must not be afraid. Given the Jekyll and Hyde nature of tonight’s opposition, it makes sense.

There are two sides to Bulgaria. Firstly, the excitable attackers which we didn’t see at Croke Park, the mystery of Dimitar Berbatov, the pace of Martin Petrov and the elusive nature of Valeri Bojinov. Add in the stars of that show on that occasion — the calm of Stiliyan Petrov and Stanislav Petrov — and there are enough reasons to be fearful.

However, the counterpoint is that their rearguard is ageing, lacking in quality or both. Suspicions exist about their keeper Dimitar Ivankov while the indications are that Igor Tomasic will start again in the heart of their defence.

Trapattoni needs the players he has placed particular faith in to deliver here. Caleb Folan must impose himself like Doyle and scatter the brittle Bulgarian defence. Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews must prevent Stiliyan Petrov and Angelov from getting too comfortable in the engine room. Sean St Ledger must show knowledge beyond his years to remain calm and cope with the meandering tendencies of Berbatov and Bojinov.

While Trap insists he won’t be sending his charges out to contain, the selection of Stephen Hunt and Damien Duff as the two wingers ahead of Aiden McGeady suggests he is leaning towards wide men with superior defensive awareness just in case Stanimir Stoilov’s charges fly out of the blocks with a head of steam. If they can be frustrated for long enough, then they will begin to leave gaps behind them as the clock ticks down.

All going to plan, McGeady will be unleashed in the second half as space begins to appear and Bulgarian legs wilt.

“I’m thinking about the game over 90 minutes,”said Trapattoni, “There are some players, I’m thinking, maybe they can do for one hour and then we look at other players. A coach does not sleep on the bench. Maybe some do, but they shouldn’t. We have to look at our options.”

The message from the Irish is that they are here to win but the reality is that a draw would be gladly accepted by the travelling contingent. They need to believe they have the capability to benefit from the predicament which the Bulgarians have found themselves in. For once, an Irish team might deliver a sucker punch.

“We have to win the game,” said Stoilov, “It is vital that we do so. The situation for us is that every game is now a cup final.”

The Republic need not talk in such terms. This is another league game, another step along the journey. Many voyages have come to a halt in Sofia, but with calm heads this generation is capable of escaping unscathed.