Friday’s first leg against Belgium will take place at the Aviva Stadium instead of Tallaght Stadium – and McCabe has called on Republic of Ireland fans to come out in force before the squad travel to Leuven for the second game.
“We know how important they are for us, whether in Tallaght or the Aviva,” added the 30-year-old.
“Their energy and the atmosphere they bring gives us that extra lease of life on the pitch. So, yeah, I urge everyone to come out and give us a hand and get behind us because we’re going to need them on Friday night, for sure.”
Belgium are ranked 20th in the world, seven places above the Republic of Ireland, and reached last summer’s Euros in Switzerland.
But while Republic of Ireland boss Carla Ward admits the Belgians have “unbelievable qualities”, she insists her side will not “park the bus” in Friday’s opening leg.
“At the Euros, they were by far the best transition team there and we have to be very, very aware of their qualities,” said Ward.
“But I believe we’ve got quality. We’ve got an abundance of quality within our ranks.
“We have to believe, we have to be confident, we have to be assured that we can go and play with the ball because I do believe that and I think these guys do as well. We won’t be looking to just park the bus.”
