Mick McCarthy claims Denmark consider themselves a better team than his Republic of Ireland side ahead of crunch tie

Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy is keen on establishing a win against Denmark in their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifier as they look to automatically make the cut for the continental tournament next summer.

McCarthy looking to upset Denmark in Dublin

The Republic of Ireland have gone head-to-head with Denmark five times in the past two years but were unable to secure a win over them. Their 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Danes in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier remains a sour memory for the Irish faithful and marked the beginning of the end of Martin O’Neill's reign as manager.

McCarthy, who has since replaced O'Neill, is currently in his second spell as Republic of Ireland manager and will be looking to prove his worth by exacting revenge on Åge Hareide's men later today.

Speaking ahead of the game, the 60-year-old has claimed that Denmark do not hold his team in high regard and has expressed his desire to cause an upset in what would be their sixth meeting in two years.

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He said via The Telegraph,

"Absolutely they believe they are better than us. I kind of like upsetting the odds. I hope he’s more p---- off on Tuesday morning after playing us.

"They certainly won’t want to lose to us, that’s for sure. They don’t regard us with enough respect I don’t think. When you hear them talk, they think they are better than us. So, I think they’ll play the same way.

"I don’t think they’ll sit back, thinking a draw will do. That would be a recipe for disaster for them. And I don’t think they believe they have to do that."

The Republic of Ireland need a win or a draw against Denmark to ensure automatic qualification to the 2020 European Championship although they are assured of a place in a play-off next year should they face defeat.