Luis Enrique - knows about the Republic (Allsport).

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Spain's Luis Enrique would do well to heed the warning he has been given by the last big-name victims of the Republic of Ireland.

Not many people are giving Mick McCarthy's men much of a chance against the in-form Spaniards, with three games and three wins so far in the tournament.

But its is worth remembering much the same odds were handed out back in December 1999 when the Irish were drawn in a qualifying group with Holland and Portugal.

However Ireland's victory over Holland in Dublin helped put a talented Dutch side out of the competition, leaving Enrique's Barcelona team-mates Frank de Boer and Patrick Kluivert back in Europe this month.

The 32-year-old Spanish star revealed: "Before I left for Korea my Dutch team-mates at Barca spoke with me and they told me how difficult Ireland were to play against.

"From what they were saying, we know we are going to have to keep the ball because they play very well on the counter attack.

"The Spanish media have also covered a lot about the Irish so we have a lot of information about them. They will be a tough team to compete against."

Spain, however, are riding high after only four-time champions Brazil could match their feat of coming through the group stage with a 100record.

Often the under-achievers on football's biggest stage, they seem to be finally realising their potential.

They could even afford eight changes to their starting line-up in their final group win against South Africa, leaving the likes of captain Fernando Hierro, Diego Tristan and Enrique himself on the bench.

But despite their impressive form so far, the Barca veteran revealed a seed of doubt still sits at the back of their minds, something Ireland are probably more capable of exploiting than any other team in the world.

"We can beat any team in the world on any given day, but then again, Spain are quite capable of being beaten by any team," said Enrique.

"We have made the second round where Argentina and France couldn't, but we've yet to know how far we can go.

"However if we can get through the first phase without losing then we can be confident. We must be doing something right now."

The Spanish press are usually the biggest critics of their national team, although this time even they seem to be getting caught up in the wave of optimism.

Real Madrid's Hierro though is quick to remind that there are still another four games to come before they could be crowned champions for the first time.

"A lot of people in Spain are getting very excited about our form in the tournament so far," said the commanding centre-back.

"But it is important that we keep calm and keep our feet on the ground. Nothing has been accomplished yet."