Martin O'Neill has admitted Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no longer "over-rated" as he prepares to send the Republic of Ireland into battle with Sweden's superstar striker.

A decade ago O'Neill, in his role as a television pundit, described Ibrahimovic as "the most over-rated player on the planet", a comment which was put to him at his press conference ahead of Ireland's Group E opener against Sweden at the Stade de France on Monday evening.

The 64-year-old said: "Well 10 years ago, that might have been the case. Lots of things can happen in that time. I remember myself feeling for a period of time that Henrik Larsson was over-rated. After about three and a half minutes, I changed my mind.

"He's a top-class player. He's one of the best in Europe, if not the world. He's Sweden's talisman and he will be hard to keep quiet during the course of the game.

"All world-class players, regardless of how well or how closely they are marked, are able to elude things during the course of the game, and he is one of those players."

Ibrahimovic scored 11 times during Sweden's qualification campaign and represents a major threat to Ireland's hopes of getting off to a winning start in Saint Denis, and his ability and track record have certainly impressed skipper Robbie Keane, whose 67 international goals tell their own story.

Asked if he liked the 34-year-old, Keane said: "Yes, of course - how could you not? He's a top, top player, as the gaffer referred to. He's been doing it for a long, long time and he seems to be getting better and better.

"He scores goals no matter where he's been, he's won league titles, so he's a top, top player. He's certainly someone I respect and admire from a distance.

"I have played against him on numerous occasions and he's certainly a player that we have to watch. But they certainly have players in that team also that can cause teams damage, so we have to be wary of that."

Keane is a veteran of the Republic's disappointing Euro 2012 campaign, which saw them return home without a single point after defeats by Croatia, Spain and Italy.

However, while there is optimism that they can make a bigger impact this time around, the 35-year-old striker insists 2012 has to be put into context.

He said: "We had a great spirit four years ago. We played against three of the best teams at that time, possibly you would say, and we didn't win a game.

"But as a group of players, we went in thinking we'd got a good chance of getting out of the group. The team spirit has always been high, but as I said, we played against top, top teams, so that's just the way it goes sometimes in football.

"Are we ready now? Of course we are, there's no question about it. The lads are excited, everybody is just looking forward now to the games coming around."

O'Neill is hopefully that Jonathan Walters, his only remaining injury doubt, will shake off an Achilles problem having suffered no ill-effects following his return to training as Ireland look for a first competitive victory over the Swedes at the seventh attempt.

Ibrahimovic is Sweden's talisman - scoring 11 goals during qualification, three of them in the play-off double-header victory over Denmark - and could become the first man to find the back of the net at four successive Euro finals tournaments.

The striker's response when it was suggested he had the opportunity to dominate a major tournament for the first time was unequivocal.

He said: "I have been dominating wherever I go, I have no issue about that. I feel very confident. I go into this tournament with a strong season behind me. I feel strong and I come here to enjoy.

"I come to France, where I have been living for the last four years now, I know the country very well. I'm 100 per cent sure they know me better than I know them, so wherever I go, I enjoy it and I have been dominating wherever I go, no worries.

"I feel like I am getting better and better every years that passes. It's all about developing and learning things and not being satisfied. You have got to have the hunger to become a better player.

"That's when I feel I have accomplished something, when I learn new things. I demand of myself that I will work hard on the pitch and practise and won;t just sit down and do nothing.

"If you want it, you are able to do it. I know what I want, I know I'm going to do it."

Both Sweden and the Republic will see Monday's game as perhaps the most winnable of their Group E fixtures with Belgium and Italy their other rivals, and striker Marcus Berg has stoked the fires by suggesting the Irish defence may not have the pace to keep his side at bay.

However, Ibrahimovic was uncharacteristically modest when the claim was put to him.

He replied with the merest flicker of a smile: "I'm also slow, so it doesn't matter. They can still be good even if they are slow."