Group Three
Preston striker David Healy sat out Northern Ireland's training session because he is still feeling the effects of a dead leg, but McIlroy is confident he will be fit to face the Danes, who are unbeaten in their seven World Cup games.
McIlroy, whose side cannot qualify for the 2002 finals, does not want to lose any more players as he is already without Neil Lennon, Ian Nolan, Mark Williams and Pat McGibbon from his original squad.
Northern Ireland's under-21 party flew out with the seniors yesterday and coach Roy Millar has made two changes to his pool.
Leeds' Wesley Boyle has withdrawn with an ankle injury, while Seβn Friars has been left out because he has not played enough football for his new club Newry Town.
Millar has replaced them with Woking's Terry McFlynn and Damien Curran of Everton.
Group Five
Andy Melville will find himself Wales' most experienced player when they stride into their World Cup showdown this weekend.
The 33-year-old will win his 47th cap and because of injury to captain Gary Speed might even end up as captain when Wales take on Armenia at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Melville claims, meanwhile, to be constantly stunned by the amount of money Mohamed Al Fayed is throwing at Fulham, where the tough Welsh defender will find himself with another new team-mate £11.5 million sterling Steve Marlet - when he finally gets back to club football in a fortnight.
Group Six
Callum Davidson and Brian O'Neil have been forced to pull out of the Scotland squad for the World Cup double-header with Croatia and Belgium. Leicester wing-back Davidson and Derby centre half O'Neil both arrived at the squad's Troon headquarters with problems to be assessed by medical staff.
Manager Craig Brown said: "Both have left and returned to their clubs because they were not going to be fit for either match. In both cases it would have been a risk, and we don't take risks at international level."
Neither will be replaced unless there are further injuries or suspensions after Saturday's Hampden Park visit of Croatia. The Scots fly out on Monday for a Brussels showdown with Belgium, and John O'Neil of Hibernian and Dundee's Gavin Rae have been told they are on stand-by in the midfield department.
