Between injuries and suspensions, the Republic of Ireland are missing more big names than a Rat Pack reunion. No Shane Long. No John O'Shea. No Jon Walters. No Shay Given, and no David Meyler. On the plus side, Paul McShane is also injured. We jest. Hello! I'm Shane and I'll be bringing you every kick from Zenica as an injury-ravaged Republic of Ireland look to defy the odds in their first-leg Euro 2016 qualifier with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Can they do it? Time will tell, my friends.

England are there. Wales are there. Hell, even Northern Ireland have managed to qualify for the finals in France next summer. But the odds are stacked against their Southern counterparts joining them. From Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic between the sticks, to Roma teammates Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko in midfield and attack, Bosnia-Herzegovina have an abundance of quality and, crucially, they're all fit. Regardless of their injuries woes, it's a big ask for the Irish to take a result back to Dublin on Monday.

Still, hope springs eternal. Let's see what Martin O'Neill can throw together in the form of a first XI tonight. Team news is on the way folks.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA XI: Begovic; Spahic, Sunjic, Lulic, Zukanovic, Cocalic, Pjanic, Mudza, Visca, Ibsevic, Dzeko

ROI XI: Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Ward; Hendrick, McCarthy, Whelan, Hoolahan, Brady; Murphy

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA SUBS: Sehic, Buric, Bickacic, Kolasinac, Bedunjanin, Susic, Hajrovic, Hadzic, Salhovic, Djuric

ROI SUBS: Forde, Wilson, Pearce, Christe, McGeady, McLean, Keane, Arter, Doyle, Gibson, Judge

So, let us begin with the hosts and Mehmed Bazdarevic has predictably gone with Dzeko - who netted eight goals in qualifying - as the spearhead in a two-pronged attack, with Vedad Ibišević in support. Senad Lulic and Edin Višća line up on the flanks, with danger man Miralem Pjanic operating at number 10. The hosts taking no chances tonight.

On to O'Neill and co now, and as expected, Ipswich Town marksman Daryl Murphy spearheads the attack in the absence of Long (injured) and Walters (suspended). Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick provide wide support, with Wes Hoolahan the most advanced player in a midfield three with Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy. Richard Keogh replaces the suspended, and injured, O'Shea, while West Ham stopper Darren Randolph covers for the injured Shay Given.

The Hulk. Kermit. American money. Envy. Dodgy McDonalds chips - the ones you're too afraid to eat. Lettuce. Tennis balls. Sprite. Indeed, the theme of tonight's commentary is green. But before we take a mosey on down memory lane to discover how both sides reached this point, let's whet the appetite with something of a sing-song.

So, we'll look at how the Boys in Green managed to get here. O'Neill's troops finished third in Group D, four points behind world champions Germany - whom they beat 1-0 in the penultimate game - and three behind Poland. It was a campaign not without its ups and downs, with a 1-1 draw at home to Scotland in June giving them a huge uphill task.

Arguably, the defining moment in the group came when Georgia - who finished fifth - shocked the Scots with a 1-0 victory in Tbilisi, shifting the advantage back in Ireland's favour for the race for the playoffs. They grabbed it with both hands. Two 1-0 wins over Georgia and Germany followed to clinch at least a playoff spot, before losing 2-1 in Poland to settle for third. The Irish showed plenty of heart in the final stretch of Group D, but a tiny bit more is needed to join a host of their neighbours in Euro 2016.

On to Bazdarevic's side now and his troops have been nothing short of superb in 2015, which spells bad news for the Irish. Bosnia-Herzegovina have won five of their six games this calendar year - a 3-1 defeat at Group B winners Belgium being the only blemish - but it was what happened in 2014 which appeared to undermine their automatic qualification hopes.

Under Safet Susic, who led them to the World Cup in Brazil, the nation endured a horrendous start to their Group B, picking up two points from their first FOUR games. They kicked things off with a 2-1 home defeat by Cyprus, of all teams, and then lost 3-0 in Israel before Susic was understandably sacked. Mr Bazdarevic took the reins and they managed to salvage a playoff place, finishing four points behind second-placed Wales in the end. Will they continue their evolution under Bazdarevic tonight? We'll know very shortly, my friends.

PREDICTION! Twenty minutes to go - let's get a prediction wrong. It's ever so hard to see the Irish coming away with a win tonight. A draw is probably the best possible outcome, given their injuries and suspensions, but with Walters, Long and O'Shea likely to return for the second leg, they just can't afford a drubbing. I feel the hosts will come out with a 2-0 win, with a goal in each half. It's hard to see the Irish scoring.

Incidentally, this is only the second ever meeting between both sides. Tonight's visitors won the inaugural meeting 1-0 in 2012, courtesy of Shane Long. We've seen what I think about this, but let's see what a few Irish celebrities think.

"We must combat that lanky streak of you know what Dzeko," is the last thing Sinead O'Connor said to me before hanging up the phone. "Bosnia-Herzegovina? We'll s**t them," according to Bono. "If we can keep Dzeko quiet then we've every chance," says Colin Farrell. "Tell Martin O'Neill I'm fully fit. He won't answer my phone calls," is what Paul McShane says.

Those quotes might be made up, but let's see what Twitter is saying about this one, shall we?

The dreaded monkey emoji has been whipped out and Chris doesn't fancy Murphy can do the business. Nor do I personally.

Leaving the olive oil that close to the hooch is just asking for trouble, isn't it?

This gentleman has had one too many already. He's only about to watch the match on a furnace.

Michael, whose favourite television show is Prison Bream, doesn't fancy Murphy either. The big Ipswich man has the perfect stage in which to answer his critics.

Kickoff in Zenica is just under five minutes away ladies and gentlemen, and here come the players. It's misty. It's frosty. It's perfect.

It's 1-0 to Ireland in the musical stakes. Their national anthem is better.

KICKOFF: We're off and what a big, big night this is. Bosnia, draped in blue, get us underway. Let's go!

Already a bit of promise from Ireland as Murphy nudges Sunjic out of the way in his bid to reach a through ball, and he concedes the foul.

Glenn Whelan dwells on the ball a little, which he can't do at this level, but it goes unpunished fortunately for him and the visitors. Ireland been trying to slow the tempo down in recent minutes but it's not working because here come Bosnia, but the attack breaks down.

Excellent jockeying from Richard Keogh here as he constantly blocks a Pjanic cross, before forcing the Roma man to prod in Ibisevic, who is offside.

Good defending again from Keogh, who is challenged to a footrace by Dzeko, but the Irish defender plays it off him and wins the goal kick. He won the battle, but that war will rage for the rest of the night you imagine.

Some of the Irish boys look a little nervous. Captain Whelan, in particular, has been a little sloppy in possession. He was excellent against Chelsea last weekend, but this is much bigger for the Stoke man.

James McCarthy, who is a booking away from missing the second leg, is hugely lucky to avoid a yellow card here as he goes through Senad Lulic for a shortcut, but he only earns a warning from the referee.

SHOT! We've seen the first shot now, and it's from the hosts as Roma man Miralem Pjanic fires over the crossbar from outside the box.

CHANCE! This has to go down as a chance for the hosts. It's a comedy of errors in the Irish box as Pjanic's fine corner causes mayhem, and Zukanovic, who has a free header, nods the ball wide from about 8 yards. Well wide too.

It's Ireland's first real attack now as two uncharacteristically poor deliveries from Brady force a corner, which comes to nothing. With a left foot as sweet as Brady's, set pieces will be huge for the visitors tonight.

Really poor from Brady, who loses possession deep in Bosnia's half and then fouls Lulic in the Irish box moments later. It wasn't a penalty, but you never know with this referee.

Ibisevic attempts the overhead here and thankfully doesn't connect with it, but it falls to Dzeko and Clark keeps him out. It's a good spell from the hosts this. They're asking more questions. This won't be a classic, but that isn't what it's about. It's about getting a result from an Irish perspective.

CLOSE! Visca beats Brady to drop a wonderful ball into the box, and Ibisevic's first-time volley can only find the side netting. For a split second, the home fans here thought that was in.

Dzeko and Ibisevic haven't really worked well together as of yet. They don't look on the same wavelength, but we can never count out Dzeko, who netted eight times in Group B during qualifying. Simply put, the man is a menace.

So, 28 minutes and gone and it's not for the purists, though Ireland haven't had a classic in about 25 years. Brilliant defending from Coleman here to snuff out a half chance for Ibisevic.

It's a good spell this from Ireland. They're growing into the encounter and enjoying much more possession in the hosts' final third, but you question whether they have the requisite firepower to score.

CHANCE! Despite Ireland's improvement, Bosnia break and speed and Zukanovic heads straight at Randolph after Coleman's header looped up in the air. That's a big let-off for the visitors.

Ten minutes until the break and Bosnia coming back into it, with Keogh doing enough to put off Dzeko here. I must say, Keogh has done really well in this first 35 minutes or so.

Ugh, ridiculous low corner here from Coleman and the chance is gone. Set pieces are huge for the visitors but they're wasting them so far. Here's another one though - a better one. Let's see.

It's better from Brady, but his left-footed delivery is too deep and Begovic mops up. That's the only thing he's had to do thus far I think.

Four minutes until the break and I'll be surprised if we don't go into the break 0-0. There's been virtually no clear-cut chances - especially not for the visitors, who have defended well at times.

Let's be honest - that first half won't be winning an award any time soon, unless it's for a negative reason. It was pretty poor from both sides. Bosnia in control, but the visitors have defended well and Martin O'Neill's side have slowly, but surely, grown into the contest. They enjoyed a few spells of possession deep in enemy territory, but nothing doing. No chances.

Right, the Irish are back on the pitch and it's a very, very smokey pitch. Is it fog? Is it flares? Lord knows. This is worrying.

KICKOFF: We're back underway. There'll be no postponements here, though I can't see a thing.

It's clearing up a little, but still, look at this!

SUB: Vranjes comes on for Mensur Mujdža, who does look injured it must be said. He's sluggish as he leaves the field. What we need is a giant hoover to get rid of this fog.

SHOT! This is the best thing Hoolahan has done all night, and it's a shot which trickles into the hands of Begovic. At the other end, Bosnia have been asking much more questions.

Ireland enjoying plenty of possession; a lot more than in the previous half, but they're struggling in the final third. How do Ipswich Town fans stomach a weekly dose of Daryl Murphy?

Okay so the fog is certainly not a laughing matter, but this was funny.

SUB: Here's James McLean, who replaces the useless Hoolahan.

SAVE! Excellent save from Randolph, who spreads himself, making himself big to deny Lulic on the left-hand side. He hasn't had much to do, but that was key.

Okay so it's Friday the 13th. The elements have blinded us due to the fog, and now the Bosnian fans are whistling likes wolves. This is spooky. Oh, and Richard Keogh has been the best player on the field. Very spooky.

SUB: Ireland make their second sub as Stephen Ward makes way for Marc Wilson.

Randolph has been really good tonight and he's brilliant here again, quick off his line to snuff out a ball from Spahic. Other than that, it's been rather quiet on the pitch.

SUB: It's anything but quiet in the stands, however, as Bosnian fans react positively to the sighting of Filip Djuric, who's a nuisance. He replaces Visca, which is a shock move.

Right, 14 minutes to go in this one and the fog is, in truth, getting worse. Let's hope we finish this one without having to play out the remainder tomorrow.

We haven't seen Dzeko in the second half and it's not because of the fog. Keogh has gobbled him up. Ten minutes to go. Ireland would've taken a 0-0 before kickoff, though the threat of an away goal in Dublin is always a threat.

Oh my word. Where on earth did this come from? Astonishing. It's Brady, who gallops away from Lulic before cutting inside his marker with a tidy Ronaldo chop, before driving a left-footed effort past Begovic at his near post. Scenes!

This one has sparked to life late on and Dzeko has grabbed an equaliser out of nothing! Richard Keogh isn't tight to Dzeko and the Roma man simply side foots home from close range. Very, very poor.

One minute to go and the Irish will be fuming over this. Still, had you offered them a 1-1 before kickoff they'd have taken it.

FOUR MINUTES ADDED ON:

Well, that's it! Robbie Brady's 82nd-minute opener was cancelled out by Edin Dzeko on 85 minutes and the Irish will be furious. They were five minutes away from bringing a vital 1-0 away win back to Dublin with them for the return leg on Monday, but a lapse of concentration threw the hosts a huge lifeline. The Irish will be narrow favourites to advance, but they would and should be clear favourites if not for Dzeko's equaliser. That's all from us. See you again!