The Edinburgh lock injured his knee in the defeat by Wales at the weekend.
Gordon, who will win his 54th cap on Saturday, insists he will not be afraid to voice his thoughts during the match.
"We have got a point to prove against Ireland. They have had the upper hand on us over the last couple of years so a performance and, more importantly, a win is needed.
"After Saturday's result, I will take a big lead - a very vocal lead - to give us a performance we desperately need. It's a great honour to captain my country, I am now one of the most experienced players in the side so it's a chance to show what I can do and I am certainly looking forward to it.
"Being captain can add an extra edge to my position. There is a lot of responsibility and, hopefully, I can rise to it and my game will improve as a result.''
Gordon went on to say: "The game against Wales set us back, there is no doubt about that, some of the confidence of the guys is certainly dented. But we have talked about it, we have watched the video and we have cleared our minds. We know what has to be rectified.
"We are ready physically but it is just getting the minds right. Although we are improving, we have got to get the wins to hit home the confidence and the self-belief. If you don't win games, you don't gain confidence, that's a fact in any sport.''