World Cup play-off rivals meet again in UEFA Nations League; watch live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Saturday
Saturday 13 October 2018 16:40, UK
Kasper Schmeichel expects to face a Republic of Ireland side gunning for revenge against Denmark when the sides meet on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The Leicester goalkeeper and his team-mates reached Russia 2018 in emphatic style last November as Christian Eriksen's hat-trick inspired them to a 5-1 play-off win that ended the hosts' own World Cup dream.
Eriksen will miss their Dublin reunion in the UEFA Nations League through injury but Schmeichel has called on other players to deliver against a team he warns will be "highly motivated".
"It doesn't matter if Christian's here or not, we need to win anyway," Schmeichel told Sky Sports.
"You take Christian out of any team in the world and you're going to feel it but that's football - it's a chance for someone else to step up and try to stake a claim.
"Christian's a remarkably consistent player. It's a rarity (his absence) but it is testament to how he lives his life; he's professional, dedicated. But we need to weigh in with goals and creativity from all over the pitch.
"We know this will be really tough considering what happened last time. They will be highly motivated to exact revenge. They're going to be looking to set the record straight but we are in no way complacent."
Denmark reached the last 16 of this summer's World Cup for the first time since 2002, losing to Croatia on penalties despite Schmeichel's best efforts in the shoot-out.
But that was their only defeat in 14 competitive fixtures and though a contract dispute has threatened to overshadow progress on the pitch, Schmeichel is sure boss Age Hareide can inspire the team to greater heights.
"When it matters we've been really good - apart from the game against Croatia, but that comes down to the luck of penalty shoot-outs," Schmeichel said. "Take the game (in Dublin) - when we needed a result, we got one.
"In terms of my Denmark career that's definitely up there - getting to a first World Cup was phenomenal and being under pressure - one-nil down - and coming back the way we did was testament to this team; the quality, the spirit, the mental toughness.
"It's a very young team and there are some really good players in that dressing room. We're moving in the right direction but the exciting thing is that there's more to come."
Watch Republic of Ireland v Denmark on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Saturday.
