Keane ready to go down fighting

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane has urged his players to go down fighting as they try to battle their way into the last 16 of Euro 2016.

Martin O’Neill’s men started the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Sweden but their chances of qualification took a huge blow when they were beaten 3-0 by Belgium on Saturday.

That defeat saw them fall to the bottom of Group E and they must now beat Italy to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.

A win would move them to four points and even that may not be enough but Keane is demanding more fight from his team.

Ireland have already been written off by many but Azzurri boss Antonio Conte is expected to ring the changes, with Italy through after two wins.

Speaking ahead of kick-off, Keane insists his team must have a positive mentality. He said: “Some days when you’ve played well and you’ve had good days, you’ve got to move on quickly and I’ve always been not bad at that really, move on quickly to the next game.

It’s the same for the players. “We’ll be positive. You can look back all you want but you’re talking to the wrong man. We look forward and get ready for the next challenge – that’s what sport is about. “It’s like a boxer. I’ve seen great boxers get knocked out but you get back up and you start swinging and hope for the best.”

Italy are priced at 2.38 to win on Wednesday, with the draw 3.10.Ireland are available at 3.25.