Soccer Euro 2008 qualifyingThe Germans may be in a position to shrug off the loss of their four World Cup central defenders ahead of Saturday's visit by the Republic of Ireland, but Steve Staunton's heart may just have skipped a beat or two as he watched two of his collide awkwardly in training yesterday.

Neither Gary Doherty nor Richard Dunne was seriously injured in the clash, and the Ireland manager insisted afterwards that the pair will be fit to play in Stuttgart.

But having sprung one surprise with the call-up of SeáSt Ledger as defensive cover, Staunton must have been relieved the mishap didn't oblige him to work further down his list of reserves ahead of such a big game.

The accident occurred when the pair went for the same high ball and then landed on each other. There was a clash of heads and the Manchester City player actually came down on Doherty's ankle. Both were okay, though, and might yet end up partnering each other on Saturday, by which time, one hopes, they may have fine-tuned their communications.

Goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly laughed the incident off: "It was just a coming together and both being big chaps you could hear the ricochet a couple of miles away, but they'll be alright, they're fine."

Staunton was similarly relaxed about it, insisting that they, like the four players who sat out training - Damien Duff, Liam Miller, Steve Carr and Stephen Elliott - would all travel today and be available for selection.

"They could all have trained," said the Louthman, "but sat it out to be on the safe side. There's nothing seriously wrong with any of them, just a few knocks and strains that we knew about before they came in. The fact is that if there was a real problem with any of them, they'd have gone back to their clubs."

Duff would appear to be the only one of the four actually guaranteed to start Saturday's game if fit, and for all his nonchalance Staunton would presumably have liked to see the Newcastle winger have a good run-out yesterday as the Irish can scarcely afford to have him perform anyway short of his best against the Germans.

Shay Given's recent back trouble is another major concern, but Kelly was bullish about the goalkeeper's fitness, insisting that the 30-year-old had done, "everything he would normally do if he was fully fit, and that's all you can hope for".

Asked if the Donegalman might need a pain-killing injection in order to play, Kelly said that he hoped not. "Shay's old enough now to know what he needs to play, but the main thing is his desire and passion to get out there and, as I said, during the 45 minutes he did this morning he was as sharp as he's ever been."

Staunton, then, remains confident he will be able to field his strongest side on Saturday evening and says he is clear in his mind what that is. "I know who I want to play all right," he says. "A lot of the lads were out for the Dutch game but they've come back and I know they're as keen as ever. I know what sort of performance I'll get from them now," he continued.

"They're hungry and want to do well for their country, that's the most important thing. In situations like this you have to put your trust in them and I have every faith that they will go out there and perform on Saturday."

Kelly, meanwhile, admits the team face a tough task but remains upbeat, despite the defeat by Holland. "Look, you don't discount games like that, you learn your lessons, but you've got to move on and deal with what you're facing, which is Germany, in a positive manner.

"You look at the passion of the crowd and what they brought to the World Cup and the way they played their football yeah, of course, it's going to be a hard task. They're going to come at us, especially the first 20 minutes like they did throughout the World Cup, but the rest is up to us."