Duff may miss out on Euro qualifier
The Blackburn winger had an MRI scan yesterday after limping off during the 2-1 Group Ten win over Albania with what was thought to be a hamstring injury.
Ireland boss Brian Kerr explained: "The scan this morning showed no obvious damage to the hamstring but there is soreness and inflammation on the tendon at the back of the knee.
"We'll see how he is tomorrow but he is sore. It the last game for everyone for a few weeks but we'll do what is right for the team and the player," he said.
"So far when players have been injured we haven't played them unless they are fully right to play both physically and mentally.
"If it meant he wouldn't be fit for quite a while if he played in this match then that wouldn't be the right way to go."
With Switzerland and Russia drawing 2-2 in the group's other match, the qualifying race is wide open again.
The Swiss are out in front with nine points while Ireland and Russia both have seven but the Russians have yet to come to Lansdowne Road.
The mathematics are simple enough: if Ireland take maximum points from their remaining three games, they will win the group and qualify for the finals in Portugal.
"There are some plus points for us," said Mr Kerr.
"A draw means there are only two points between the teams and keeps everyone in touch, it stopped Switzerland getting away from the pack.
"We have made up four points on Switzerland in the last three games because they have had three draws whereas we have won two and drawn one," he explained.
"If the Swiss had won then it would have been hard for us to get into top spot, but now we have got a bit of a chance.
"When I came into the job in January we were gone, we were supposed to be out of it completely, but now people are talking about can we win the group, which is quite a change.
"The players have turned it around. They have played the matches and applied themselves as diligently and as honestly as anyone could ask for and we have scrapped out seven points from three games," he added.
Having overcome Albania, Ireland must now repeat the result against Georgia, who they beat 2-1 in Tbilisi at the end of March, and Kerr believes the Georgians will be tougher opponents.
"I see them as a better team than Albania," added Kerr.
"They have better players all around the pitch. Kakha Kaladze played in the Champions League final for AC Milan and got a winner's medal, and they have two lads Dundee's Giorgi Nemsadze and Zurab Khizanishvili who played in the Scottish Cup final and play every week in the British style."
Kerr had the former Scotland international Lou Macari at the Swiss match and he said he had spoken to him after the game.
"Lou said that Russia played very well. It was a much-changed team from the one that lost to Georgia in April and he thought they should have won the match.
"They got a fortunate penalty kick that caused a bit of mayhem in the stadium but he felt after that Russia missed clear-cut chances to win the match."
The Irish players who did not play against Albania had a training session in Malahide yesterday while the others visited a swimming pool and went through a recovery session with their physios.
Afterwards Kerr was visibly annoyed when reference was made to the Albania accusation that Ireland should have given them the ball in the incident that produced the winning goal.
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