Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy confirmed yesterday that he has already chosen his squad for this summer's World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
"I know the make-up of the squad at this stage, all the decisions have been taken but I am not going to reveal the names just yet. I will be arranging a press conference, but I know who is going barring any late injuries," said McCarthy at a function in Tralee yesterday. "I knew the players I was going to pick before the USA game (at Lansdowne Road last month)."
McCarthy, who is expected to name the squad in the next 10 days, said he will continue to monitor the Republic's group opponents in the run-up to the competition.
"I have had them (Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia) watched a number of times and I have videos to watch when we get out there.
"I don't believe in doing it now and monitoring them for months beforehand and finding out the team is different when we get out there.
"I am going to watch Cameroon when they meet England six days before we play them, and I have the videos from the African Nations Cup.
"While we are out there (Japan), Saudi Arabia will have two games played, which I will have watched, so we will be doing it more on sight when we get there."
Germany will definitely be without defender Jens Nowotny when they meet the Republic on June 5th after tests confirmed he had torn a cruciate knee ligament.
The Bayer Leverkusen captain, who will be sidelined for six months, sustained the injury during the first half of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final success over Manchester United.
Nowotny's worth to both club and country was underlined yesterday when Leverkusen team-mate and fellow international Bernd Schneider said: "In my opinion, Jens Nowotny is one of the best defenders in Europe.
"If he's out, it's impossible to replace him, especially with our next three games (the Champions League final, the German Cup final, and the Bundesliga title decider ) and the World Cup."
German captain Oliver Kahn also expressed his disappointment at Nowotny's injury, which means he will join midfielder Mehmet Scholl in missing the tournament.
"If we miss Scholl and Nowotny, that's the same as the French missing Zidane and Desailly," said the Bayern Munich keeper.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen boss Klaus Toppmoller has claimed he was approached by the Nigerian FA to coach their national team in the World Cup.
Toppmoller said: "It is true and I still haven't booked my holiday. But it would be difficult to take the job because we have to play until May 15th, but I will talk with the official from the Nigerian FA again. It is an interesting offer, but my friend, Leverkusen general manager Reiner Calmund, is right when he says that I have to take a holiday."
The Nigerian FA claim they have not spoken with Toppmoller.
England manager Sven Goran Eriksson, whose side meet Nigeria in the World Cup group stages on June 12th, said yesterday that David Beckham should be fit for the tournament, but added that Beckham's Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville is unlikely to make it.
"I think personally that David can play, but I'm not sure - and nobody is sure, we have to wait for the next X-rays - about Gary Neville," said Eriksson.
Both players are suffering from broken bones in their feet.
Robert Pires last night warned that the majority of his France team-mates will refuse to play in the World Cup finals if the country's extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen wins Sunday's presidential election.
The Arsenal midfielder, who would have been a certainty for inclusion in Roger Lemerre's multicultural squad but for his recent knee surgery, said: "If the extreme right were to win the election there would be more than several French players who would refuse to take part in the World Cup."
He added: "It'd be an impossibility to play (in the Far East). We play for France because we're French, but the team's roots are from everywhere."
