Giovanni Trapattoni’s men claimed only a single point from the reverse fixtures in October as they went down 3-2 to the Russians at the Aviva Stadium and then drew 1-1 in Zilina as skipper Robbie Keane missed a potentially match-winning penalty.

Nevertheless, the three sides go into the latest round of fixtures level on 13 points and the one who emerges with the biggest haul next Tuesday night will be in pole position.

Whelan said: “If you look at most international teams, you go through a tough patch or maybe a bad game or so in the group, but it’s how you react, and we have reacted really well.

“We can’t worry about the two games. Let’s worry about Slovakia on Friday first, hopefully get the right result and get that out of the way, and then worry about Russia.

“We know they are going to be two difficult games, but I am sure the Slovakians and the Russians know that too.”

Ireland go into the Slovakia game brimming with confidence after taking maximum points from their home and away clashes with Macedonia.

Indeed, the trip to Skopje came in the middle of a five-game unbeaten run which has also seen them beat Northern Ireland, Scotland and Italy and draw with Croatia.

Whelan and his team-mates will feel they owe the Slovakians after returning from Zilina believing all three points were there for the taking.

However, they saw enough that night to know that the latest visitors to the Aviva Stadium will also have victory in their minds.

Whelan said: “I am sure they will be coming to try to win the game, and we’ll be doing the same ourselves. Hopefully it’s an open game with a lot chances and hopefully we come out on top.”

Meanwhile, Whelan will return to Stoke after his international adventure to a dressing room containing some unfamiliar faces, although the qualities of new Potters signing and former Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios will be far from unknown to him.

He said: “He’s a terrific player. He went to Spurs for £12m only a couple of years ago and at the time, I don’t know how true it was, Manchester United were interested as well.

“He is going to be terrific for us. Hopefully he will come in and I’m playing alongside him and he’s not taking my spot, but it will only push me on now to work as hard and work even harder to stay in the team.

“If the manager decides to go with him, then I am going to have to work hard to try to shift him. But it’s great because when you look at the players the manager is looking to bring in now and trying to build Stoke up to be a bigger club than it already is, it’s fantastic.”