In the increasingly breathless build up to this week's Scotland versus the Republic of Ireland match, a variety of players and pundits with connections to both camps are hunted down for pearls of wisdom and wrung dry in the same way you'd force a damp cloot through a mangle.

Next through the wringer? Darren O'Dea, the former Celtic defender and a player with 20 Ireland caps to his name. Having had experiences of the methods employed by both Gordon Strachan and Martin O'Neill, the respective managers of the two nations, O'Dea is intrigued to see how these two wily campaigners will match up against each other in the heat of the tactical battle. "Gordon is a pure coach," said O'Dea, who played under Strachan for three years during his stint at Parkhead. "He has a theory about everything that happens on the pitch. He could talk to you about football all day. I've played under a lot of managers but Gordon was the most detailed and the guy I learned most from.

"Martin is a motivator. I didn't have a lot of experience playing under him, just a few pre-season friendlies, but he is someone who can make players feel like they are on top of the world. With the Irish team, that's why they are getting results. They have spirit and he's getting the best out of Aiden [McGeady] and James McClean.

"The game is built up perfectly with the two managers and the two teams. I'm as interested as anyone in how it goes. It'll be fascinating."

The story of European Championship qualifying group D so far has been more like an episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Poland beating Germany, Ireland drawing with Germany, Scotland sharing the spoils with Poland and giving the Germans an almighty scare. Friday night's fixture will probably be predictably unpredictable.

"Scotland are playing the better football but Ireland are getting the results and you'd maybe back then for that reason; it's impossible to say," added O'Dea. "Sometimes it comes down to luck. Germany are struggling a little bit, given that you thought they would wipe the floor with everyone. I just don't know what to think."

We'll just have to expect the unexpected.