"It is imperative that we win. It will doubtlessly be close but we'll give it everything we've got!" - Sebastien Loeb.

Citroen's Sebastien Loeb will have only one target this coming weekend in Ireland and that's to come out top and take the maximum ten points.

The Frenchman failed to score on the Rally Japan last month after his co-driver, Daniel Elena called out the wrong pace-note. It was a bitter blow for Seb, especially as Marcus Gronholm had gone out on day 1 and as such he was well placed to re-take the lead in the drivers' championship.

As it is Loeb heads to Ireland now still four points behind and with only two events left, still has it all to do.

He will take encouragement though from the Citroen C4 WRC's form this year on the 'black stuff' and his pre-event preparations for this event, which included taking in and winning the Donegal Rally in Ireland back in the summer and the Cork '20' International Rally in September.

"We have no alternative [but to try and take the victory this weekend]. I start every event with the intention of winning and that's especially true this time," he noted.

"Our visits to Ireland earlier in the year, Citroën's experience of asphalt and the Citroën C4 WRC's proven competitiveness on sealed surfaces should all help us and I hope Dani [Sordo] and Marc [Marti] succeed in finishing ahead of Marcus [in the #2 C4]. We're still very much in with a shout, but we have very little margin for manoeuvre."

Asked what he learned from his two outings in Ireland earlier this year, Seb added that they taught him this event will be far from easy.

"It's important to point out too that the Donegal and Cork Rallies don't take place in the same region as Sligo and the roads there might be different to what we've already seen," he continued.

"Taking part in these two events was a new experience but Citroën has good experience of asphalt. That said, Rally Ireland promises to be like no other event I know. I would perhaps liken it to the French Championship's Rallye du Touquet, only faster in places. The bumpy, narrow stages make it a very difficult cocktail and it will call for a special feeling. It will doubtlessly be close but we'll give it everything we've got!"

As for if the error in Japan will still be on his and Elena's minds, Loeb reiterated that it is not a factor, even if it has made things more difficult.

"I've never been one to dwell on the past. I prefer to look forward and I'm more interested in the two rounds to come," he explained.

"Daniel made a mistake like I can make mistakes at times. We've been competing together for almost ten years now and it was one of the first times he's ever made an error calling out a pacenote. We immediately got back into the swing by re-starting and pushing hard the following morning. That was important.

"When Grönholm retired, we had a chance of scoring a good result in Japan but we let it slip from our grasp. We can't afford to miss the next one. The overall result in Japan leaves us in the same situation we have been in for some events now: we've absolutely got to win. Before, we needed to win five rallies; now we need to win the next two!"