With the issue of where the Georgia match will be played now resolved, Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni was able to turn his attention to matters on the pitch this evening as he announced his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Newcastle's Damien Duff will play no part in the double-header against Georgia and Montenegro having picked up a knee injury in the win over Bolton last Saturday that will keep him sidelined for three weeks.

Duff's enforced absence will not see Trapattoni bring in an extra midfielder to his squad, suggesting that Kevin Kilbane may have some role to play on the left side of midfield.

Instead, defenders Paul McShane and Stephen Kelly come back into the squad with Wolves full-back Kevin Foley missing out having featured in the build up to last week's 1-1 draw against Norway.

"It is a shame that we have lost Damien Duff for the two opening qualifiers," Trapattoni said today. "He started very well and he is a very important player in the Irish squad."

Trapattoni is again likely to utilise his midfield partnership of Steven Reid and Glenn Whelan, who looks to have played his way into the manager's plans with excellent displays in each of his first two senior internationals.

And if the former Juventus manager sticks with his two-man front line of Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle it would appear that Andy Reid will again have to settle for a place on the bench.

Trapattoni, meanwhile, said that he was satisfied the Georgia match has been switched to Mainz for the sake of both players and fans.

"I am happy that Fifa and the Georgian Football Federation have made a decision to play the game against Georgia in a neutral venue," added the Italian.

"We understand that it was a difficult decision to make but feel it was the correct one given the need to prioritise the safety of the players and fans."

Republic of Ireland Squad

Goalkeepers
Shay Given (Newcastle United)
Dean Kiely (West Brom)

Defenders
Alex Bruce (Ipswich Town)
Damien Delaney (QPR)
Richard Dunne (Manchester City)
Steve Finnan (Liverpool)
Stephen Kelly (Birmingham City)
Kevin Kilbane (Wigan Athletic)
Joey O'Brien (Bolton Wanderers)
John O'Shea (Manchester United)
Paul McShane (Sunderland)

Midfielders
Stephen Hunt (Reading)
Aiden McGeady (Celtic)
Liam Miller (Sunderland)
Andy Reid (Sunderland)
Steven Reid (Blackburn Rovers)
Glenn Whelan (Stoke City)

Attackers
Kevin Doyle (Reading)
Robbie Keane (Liverpool)
Andy Keogh (Wolves)
Shane Long (Reading)
Daryl Murphy (Sunderland)