Russia are the visitors to the Aviva Stadium tomorrow night before Giovanni Trapattoni's men travel to Slovakia on Tuesday.

The Republic sit on top of Group B with six points from two games but those wins came against Armenia and Andorra, and Keane knows the stakes have been markedly raised.

However, after an impressive World Cup campaign ended with the now infamous defeat by France in the play-offs last November, he believes they are closer than ever to matching the best in Europe.

Keane said: "It's going to be a difficult game but the experience the players have from the last campaign will stand us in good stead.

"With the new stadium, everything's in place and I'm confident it's just a matter of time before we start playing against teams like Russia and getting good performances.

"During the last campaign we didn't lose any games and there's no reason why we can't start turning those draws into wins.

"This is obviously going to be our biggest test so far. Russia are a good team, they've got a good squad of players but we've got off to a good start and we want to continue that.

"These two games have come at the right time for us. We're feeling very confident and we're looking to get a result to set us up nicely for Tuesday's game."

There is plenty at stake for Russia, too, after their surprise home defeat by Slovakia left them playing catch-up on their two main rivals.

And Keane believes the pressure on Dick Advocaat's side to make up for that loss could open the door for the Republic, who will be playing in front of a capacity crowd for their biggest game so far at their new ground.

He continued: "You're expected to win your home games and I'm sure Russia would have expected to win their game against Slovakia but it wasn't to be. It just goes to show how strong this group is.

"They'll certainly want to win tomorrow's game, and we're aware of that. It might be a bit like chess to start with but I'm sure the game will open up and the attacking players can make the most of that."

One player the Republic will not have to worry about is Keane's Tottenham team-mate Roman Pavlyuchenko, who has been ruled out of the clash by an ankle injury.

"He doesn't play on a regular basis for them but it's still a big blow because I know what he's like and he's quite capable of coming off the bench and scoring goals," said Keane. "From that respect, obviously we're really happy he's not here."

Pavlyuchenko's form for Spurs is one of the reasons Keane, who will be looking to add to his record goal tally for the Republic of 44, has spent a lot of this season sitting on the bench.

The 30-year-old, though, insists there will be no problem with his sharpness when he lines up alongside Kevin Doyle tomorrow night.

He added: "I feel fine. I'm fresh anyway and that's the most important thing. I feel good and I'm raring to go."