Republic of Ireland v Italy team news: While the bulk of his players came through the first weekend of the new Premiership season unscathed, Tottenham striker Robbie Keane will miss Wednesday's friendly international game against Italy at Lansdowne Road the Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr confirmed yesterday.
The player twisted an ankle in training last Friday.
"Robbie is the only one that I know who is out," said Kerr after a light session with the players who had arrived into Dublin by lunchtime yesterday. "He felt that with the extra couple of days he might have been all right to play but I can understand Spurs not wanting him to travel in the circumstances."
As he spoke Kerr was waiting for word from Shay Given, Steve Carr and Damien Duff to confirm they had come through yesterday's games without any problems. There was no suggestion last night any of the three was a doubt for the Italy game despite Given sustaining a knock during the second half of Newcastle's 2-0 defeat at Highbury after a collision with one of his own defenders, and Duff being replaced after an hour of Chelsea's 1-0 win at Wigan.
All three are due to train with the squad this morning as are Gary Breen and skipper Kenny Cunningham who were expected into Dublin last night. Also expected, despite not featuring for his club yesterday, is Wigan's Graham Kavanagh who failed to recover sufficiently from a foot injury to play yesterday but who, like Matt Holland and Richard Dunne, is being encouraged to use the time in Dublin to work on his match fitness.
"I know in the case of Richard, Stuart Pearce (Manchester City manager) is very keen he gets as much football as possible and I've told him he'll get plenty here," said Kerr, confirming defender will play against the Italians.
With Breen and Andy O'Brien also available again, Kerr has plenty of options in defence but he finds himself, as he did in the Faroe Islands, with a bit of a problem up front where Keane will again be missing and neither Clinton Morrison nor Stephen Elliott started for their clubs over the weekend.
Amongst the other players who took part in yesterday afternoon's session in Malahide were Gary Doherty and Liam Miller, neither of whom were used by their clubs, while Kevin Kilbane, like Morrison and Elliott, had to settle for coming on late in Everton's home game with Manchester United.
"It's a bit of worry okay," conceded Kerr when asked about the fact many of his attacking players failed to get starts on Saturday, "that when I look at my list the first dozen all seemed to play while the second dozen hadn't but there's not a huge amount I can do about it and the one plus is they'll all probably be that bit more anxious to play on Wednesday."
The number who get the opportunity will be limited by the regulations which restrict managers to six substitutions in games like this but, with most of the squad facing into three club games next week, Kerr looks certain to use as many players as he is allowed. Kerr also suggesting many of the changes might come earlier than would be normally expected.
Italian coach Marcello Lippi, meanwhile, brings a strong squad to Dublin tomorrow for the game. Alessandro Del Piero is included after almost a year on the international sidelines and 10 of the 11 players who started the World Cup qualifier against Norway in June are also set to travel.
Del Piero hasn't played for his country since scoring the only goal of the game in the World Cup qualifier against Moldova last September with a mixture of injury and poor form keeping him out since. After a strong end to last season with Juventus he is back in favour even if he manages no more than a place on the bench on Wednesday night.
The Italians, who lead their qualification group by four points from Norway and Slovenia, are preparing for qualifying games away to Scotland and Belarus next month when two wins would go a long way to wrapping up their place at next summer's World Cup finals.
Lippi looks set to field a strong side in Dublin with the likes of Roma's Francesco Totti, Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Cannavaro, both of Juventus, all included in the travelling party for their first visit to Dublin in two decades.
Irish under-21 manager Don Givens has drafted in five more players into his squad for tomorrow night's friendly international against Northern Ireland in Lurgan. Conor Kenna (UCD), Stephen Bradley (Drogheda United), Stephen Ward (Bohemians), Patrick Cregg (Arsenal) and Stephen Dawson (Mansfield) are added to the panel in place of Willo Flood (Manchester City), Aidan McGeady (Celtic), Paddy McCarthy (Leicester City), David Bell (Rushden and Diamonds) and Darren Potter (Liverpool) who withdrew over the weekend.
