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Enda Stevens has challenged the Republic of Ireland to keep skipper Seamus Coleman’s Euro 2020 dream alive in his absence when they face Denmark in a winner-takes-all shoot-out next month.

The Republic will lower the curtain on their Group D campaign against familiar foes at the Aviva Stadium on a night when victory would almost certainly send them to the finals.

However, they will have to achieve it without 31-year-old Everton full-back Coleman, who will be suspended following his dismissal for two bookable offences in Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat in Switzerland just 10 days after receiving his marching orders for his club at Burnley.

Asked if that could provide added motivation, Stevens said: “Yes, that’s what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to do it for each other.

“Seamus is so disappointed in there, but he’ll be the one giving us a pat on the back now against Denmark and he’ll be still leading the line for us. He’ll be cheering us on and giving us that confidence to go out and perform.”

The game will be the sixth meeting between the sides in two years, a run of fixtures which has resulted to date in four draws and a thumping 5-1 World Cup qualifier victory for the Danes in Dublin.

That has to change this time around if Ireland are to progress, and Sheffield United defender Stevens, who returned from suspension in Geneva after losing his ever-present tag for the campaign in Georgia three days earlier, is in no mood to pass up that chance.

He said: “They (Switzerland) were saying it was a cup final for them, we said it was a cup final for us tonight. Fortunately we’ve got another cup final now next.

“We would have taken one win out of two games gets you to the Euros, so we’ve got to look forward to that, and especially being at home in the Aviva Stadium.

“Hopefully we can really knuckle down and get the three points that we need.”

Ireland were under the cosh at the Stade de Geneva after Haris Seferovic had fired the home side into an early lead, but they kept themselves in the game, thanks in part to keeper Darren Randolph, who turned away a Seferovic header and then saved Ricardo Rodriguez’s 77th-minute penalty to give them hope until Shane Duffy’s late own goal ended it.

Stevens said: “He (Randolph) kept us in the game and we were pushing and pushing, and it was obviously disappointing to concede the second goal in the last minute.

“To be fair, Darren got me out of jail a few times with corners and that, so he was excellent all night. He’s been doing that at Middlesbrough all throughout the season, so you kind of expect them from him now at this stage.”

Aaron Connolly is targeting a “cup final” victory over Denmark to see the Republic of Ireland through to Euro 2020.

Tuesday night’s 2-0 Group D defeat in Switzerland dragged the home side right back into a three-horse race with Ireland and Denmark for the two automatic qualification spots and should the Swiss beat Georgia and Gibraltar next month, victory in Dublin would guarantee Mick McCarthy’s men a ticket.

Connolly, who was handed a first senior start for his country in Geneva three days after nearly winning the game on debut off the bench in Georgia, said: “It hasn’t really changed. It’s one win we need. Hopefully we can get that against Denmark and qualify – that’s the main thing.

“It’s a cup final, it’s a huge three points on the line, so there’s going to be a big push.”

The 19-year-old Brighton striker was the Republic’s brightest spark after coming on as a late substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw in Tbilisi, a cameo which earned him a place in the starting line-up at the Stade de Geneva.

However the Swiss, who are ranked 11th in the world, some 17 places above Ireland, demonstrated their pedigree as Haris Seferovic fired them into a 16th-minute lead they rarely looked like relinquishing, particularly after Ireland skipper Seamus Coleman had been sent off for a second bookable offence.

Connolly had departed for Scott Hogan by the time keeper Darren Randolph saved Ricardo Rodriguez’s 77th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Coleman, and was a frustrated by-stander as Shane Duffy could only deflect substitute Edimilson Fernandes’ late shot into his own net.

Asked how big a night it had been for him, he said: “It was, but it ended in disappointment again after the last game and the missed chances.

“It’s disappointing because I felt I could have done a bit more, maybe. It’s obviously a tough night, but it’s a proud night as well.

“They are a good team. They pressed us back and it was tough for the lads to get up and play off me. I just had to do what I could, but it probably wasn’t enough. It’s a disappointing result.

“We put in a good second-half performance, I think, and maybe deserved a draw. We didn’t get that, so we just need to move on now to November, pick up the three points and then that’s all forgotten about and we qualify.”