Soccer:Republic of Ireland captain Captain Robbie Keane will start up front alongside Shane Long against Croatia on Wednesday (7.45pm) after Kevin Doyle suffered a recurrence of an injury that could keep him out of next month's Euro 2012 qualifiers.
The striker has returned to his club for treatment on the knee ligament problem he first suffered in the 2-1 win over Macedonia in March and which subsequently kept him out of all but one of the Wolves's remaining league games.
With Slovakia due to visit Dublin on September 2nd and a trip Russia scheduled for four days later, Giovanni Trapattoni cannot count on the striker being fit.
Asked if he thought he would make it today, he replied: “I hope so, it’s only 20 days away.”
Keane appeared confident of a move of his own before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
“There are a couple of weeks left in the window,” he said, “it’s probably likely I’ll be going, can’t really say where at the moment, but there are couple of weeks left and there are few people talking to the clubs.”
Ireland’s record goalscorer confirmed all the interested parties are Premier League clubs.
In what is arguably the manager’s strongest available team for tomorrow, after a litany of withdrawals from the squad, Keane and Long will be supplied from the wings by Damien Duff and Stephen Hunt.
The only senior central pairing available to Trapattoni – Darron Gibson and Glenn Whelan – will operate in midfield.
Richard Dunne and Seán St Ledger will form the central defensive pairing, with Stephen Kelly and Stephen Ward on the flanks and Shay Given in goal.
Chelsea’s Conor Clifford will join up with the squad after he plays for the under-21s against Austria at The Showgrounds in Sligo tonight.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who played for Crumlin United, captained Chelsea to the FA Youth Cup in 2010 and is a regular in their reserve team squad.
Trapattoni opted to add him to the senior set-up after discussions with under-21 manager Noel King, but he has not committed to handing out a debut against the Croats.
“We’ve had good reports about him and he’ll be on the bench,” said the Italian.
Rep of Ireland (v Croatia): Given; Kelly, Dunne, St Ledger, Ward; Duff, Whelan, Gibson, Hunt; Long, Keane.
