Don Givens will have the perfect opportunity to assess his Republic of Ireland U-21 team when they take on Germany in what should be a highly entertaining encounter.
Even though the opposition have already qualified for this summer's Uefa U-21 Championship, they will still provide a stern test for an Irish side that has been growing in confidence.
The qualifying campaign didn't go according to plan for Ireland as they only managed to pick up one win, although a 2-2 draw away to Portugal in the final game showed that they had improved over the course of the year. They also claimed a convincing victory over Lithuania in a friendly match in October, which was their last outing.
"This is a really good opportunity for our players to test themselves against one of the top Under-21 teams in Europe," said Givens.
"We have recorded good results in our last two matches, drawing with Portugal 2-2 and defeating Lithuania 3-0, so we'll be looking to build on that when we meet Germany."
Impressive club form
Things have been picking up for the Irish youngsters and Givens will be enthused by the impact that many of them have been making at club level. Owen Garvan, two-goal hero against Portugal, has been outstanding for Ipswich Town in the Coca-Cola Championship, where Stephen Quinn (Sheffield United), Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace), and Brendan Maloney (Nottingham Forest) have also been attracting plaudits for their displays.
Sunderland left-back Michael Liddle has done so well at Carlisle United that they recently extended his loan spell, while Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Stephen Gleeson has been exceptional during his loan stint at Stockport County in League One.
In the SPL, Celtic defender Darren O'Dea and Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy have both become wanted men by various teams due to eye-catching appearances for their respective clubs.
Keith Treacy has enjoyed a successful run in the Blackburn Rovers team, but Eddie Nolan decided to leave Rovers for Preston North End after impressing on loan. Givens knows that his players need to be getting as many games as possible for their clubs and he will be pleased by how the majority of his squad have performed so far this season.
League of Ireland link
One of the most positive things to happen to the U-21 side over the last two years has been the influx of young players in each squad that ply their trade in the League of Ireland.
It is always a major plus if the domestic league that can produce home-grown talent that are capable of competing on the international stage and pushing on in their careers. That has certainly happened in recent times with Sligo Rovers defender Seamus Coleman, Bohemians left-back Conor Powell, UCD starlet Ian Bermingham, Galway United winger James O'Shea, and Shamrock Rovers striker Padraig Amond all earning call-ups to squads last year.
Each of those players have attracted interest from foreign-based clubs and their development can only be a good thing for Ireland as Givens continues to explore new options going into the next batch of games.
A team with a lot of strength
During the qualification campaign it became clear that Ireland were able to approach games in a number of different ways due to the personnel that they had on board. Not only did they have players that could occupy a variety of positions, but there was strength in depth to choose from.
Some teams often struggle to find a midfield general - someone who can control the tempo of a game and prove to be a match-winner, but that has not been a problem for this Ireland U-21 team. They are spoilt for choice with Owen Garvan, James McCarthy, Michael Collins, Stephen Quinn, Chris McCann, and John-Joe O'Toole. Having these types of players available ensures that the team will always have a dominant presence in the middle of the park.
Givens has tried to use as many of his talented players as possible in games, so employing a 4-5-1 formation became a popular choice during qualifying as the central midfielders were able to have more of an influence on each match with support on either side of them.
Unfortunately, Ireland leaked too many soft goals and didn't convert enough of their chances during qualifying. The good news though is that these areas have been addressed in the last two games, where they managed to hit the back of net five times.
So there is no need to abandon the short-passing game that they used last year, but just make sure that their slick passing moves lead to keeping possession, scoring goals, and controlling matches.
Making the step up
Over the last few years, there has been a steady flow of players being promoted from the U-21 set-up to the senior team.
A look at recent squads selected by Giovanni Trapattoni reveals names such as Paul McShane (Hull City), Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), and Andrew Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers). All are now regularly fighting for first-team spots, which proves that the step up from U-21 level is achievable.
It is quite encouraging to have so many players in the senior squad that previously starred for the U-21's, because it ensures that the players who do go on to win full international caps have already featured for their country.
Within the current squad, there are a number of players that will surely go on to play for the senior team, so for those that get a chance to see them in action now they are witnessing tomorrow's stars perfect their craft in an Ireland jersey.
The future is bright for Irish football and this U-21 team have a key role to making sure they remain competitive at this under-age level and providing the senior team with fresh blood in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.