Ian Rush reckons Gareth Bale can equal his Wales goal tally in their crunch World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in March.

The Real Madrid ace’s strike in the 1-1 draw with Serbia has left him just two short of Rush’s record of 28.

But the ex-Liverpool hit-man believes Bale could continue his goal trail in Dublin on March 24 and give their qualifying hopes a huge boost.

The 55-year-old said: “When Gareth plays you know he is going to score. He has a superb left foot.

“He has a free role and can do what he wants – Cristiano Ronaldo does it and Bale is equally good at it.

“We will score in Ireland, 100 per cent, and we have an excellent chance of winning.”

The draw with Serbia in Cardiff left Wales third in Group D four points behind the Republic of Ireland who triumphed in Austria to pump up the pressure.

Chris Coleman’s side have already had three home games, collecting five points in the process after the costly draw with Georgia.

But Rush reckons even with more away games left in the rest of the qualifiers, that might prove beneficial to Welsh hopes of qualifying for Russia.

He added: “What they did at the Euros means teams are happy going away with a point.

“I think they will actually play better away from home.”