GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI will head to Poland on Wednesday in order to assess the Republic of Ireland’s European Championship base camp options but with Sweden due to inform Uefa this week that they will be going to Kiev rather than Gdynia, it seems increasingly likely the Italian will be bringing his players to the town just outside Gdansk.

The Ireland manager will have the final decision, though, and along with his assistant, Marco Tardelli, the 72-year-old will inspect the facilities both at Gdynia and another camp outside the venue city of Wroclaw in the south of the country.

The FAI have already had both venues assessed and deemed them suitable but nothing could be decided in advance of last Friday’s draw, while the situation was complicated by the fact that several venues had been booked by other qualifying nations.

In their case, the Swedes have told their counterparts in Abbotsown they will now be releasing Gdynia after being drawn to play their games in Ukraine.

Before the Irish can move on the facility, however, Uefa have to be formally notified of the cancellation and that is expected to happen early this week.

Trapattoni, meanwhile, is still expected to travel to Florence, possibly with FAI chief executive John Delaney, next week in order to have a look at facilities there which the manager is considering using for a training camp in advance of the tournament.

Cesare Prandelli suggested immediately after the draw on Friday that Trapattoni had told him his interest in bringing his squad to Montecatini, just outside Florence, had waned in the wake of the draw.

The Irish would be training on the territory of one of their group opponents and, more significantly, Trapattoni himself would be bound to attract enormous attention from the Italian media, much of which would be camped just 20 miles or so up the road at Coverciano, where their squad is due to be based.

Association officials insisted over the weekend, however, that Trapattoni still sees Florence, where the facilities have been recommended to him by friends, as a very strong possibility and he is keen to view them himself before making a final call on the matter.

The timing of the Italian, or failing that possibly Portuguese trip, is not entirely clear but the camp would most likely be used to work with players for a portion of the period between the end of their club season, in most cases Sunday, May 13th, and the end of that month.

With a couple of friendlies, including a “send off” game at the Aviva Stadium, planned for the closing days of May or very early June, this would seem be the only opportunity for Trapattoni to have a prolonged spell on the training ground with his players and it may be used by the Italian to weigh up any final decisions in relation to his squad for the tournament, which has to be named 10 days before it kicks off on Friday, June 8th in Warsaw.

Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper, meanwhile, is facing another stint on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury during the game against Manchester United on Saturday.

Shay Given had to be replaced shortly before half-time in the game at Villa Park and now faces a battle to be fit again in time for the busy Christmas and New Year schedule.

“With Shay, it may be a grade one hamstring injury, which is the smallest tear,” said Villa boss Alex McLeish after the game, which Villa lost 1-0.

“It can be three or four weeks. A hamstring at any stage is never an overnight job.

“Let’s hope it’s not too severe.”