Martin O'Neill admits he is not too sure how he will go about taking care of Gareth Bale on Friday night.

The Republic of Ireland host Wales in a crunch World Cup qualifier in Dublin and O'Neill says he has not yet formulated a plan as to how the Irish will stop the Real Madrid superstar.

"Of course there are going to be moments in matches when great players extricate themselves from difficult positions and cause you problems - that's why they are great players," said O'Neill.

"It's that type of thing that we will try to cut to a minimum if we can.

"But naturally being a brilliant player, he will cause us problems."

Ireland currently to the Group D qualifying table with 10 points from four matches, four points clear of third-placed Wales.