Keane’s arrival could solve selection problem
Kevin Kilbane is struggling with a groin strain and if he is not declared fit Keane will come straight into the side and release Damien Duff to play on the wing.
Kilbane will have to prove his fitness at a training session later this afternoon while Keane will have to satisfy the Irish boss he is fit after playing just one match for Spurs the Premiership tie against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium in the past month and after his personal troubles last week when he buried his father.
Said Kerr: "He's done a bit (training) in the last few days, he's been out running."
The difficulty for Kerr and Ireland is the lack of quality training facilities in Albania. The training conditions in Georgia were adjudged to be marginally better but also below standard. The playing pitch for the actual match is expected to be better than the pitch in Georgia, however.
Albania beat Russia in a new stadium on Saturday but they will play Ireland at their old headquarters. The Irish are expecting a tougher contest than they had from Georgia.
"We know that in the last World Cup, all their games were close. In the six qualification games in a group with England, Germany and Greece, they only conceded 13 goals over those six games. They beat Greece and the rest of the matches were very tight. The two games with England were close, it was late goals that did them.
"Three was the max they conceded, in the match with England, the 3-1 was the highest score line. And as they have been making progress at under-21 level we know what to expect," Kerr said.
He again expressed his annoyance at the crowd trouble in Tbilisi and the danger to players from the missiles that were thrown. But he also expressed sympathy with the local football association.
"Look at how we behave towards teams when they come to Dublin. We are generally very respectful to them and we don't have any mad incidents of hostility.
"But equally, the association in Georgia, it's hard going for them. The economy has deteriorated since I was here in 1985.
"But still I think it's right that UEFA should have standards about the behaviour of people. But I would wonder is there consistency about those standards when we get fined for seven and eight year old kids running on to the pitch in Cork to celebrate our win against Holland in a youths' match."
The weather in Tbilisi showed a spectacular improvement over the past couple of days even if it was still turning very cold at night. When the Irish arrived in Tirana they enjoyed bright sunshine and warm, Mediterranean-style heat, but the high humidity could prove a problem during the match.
Meanwhile, Russia's football union chief has asked UEFA to switch the venue of their Euro 2004 qualifier with Georgia to a neutral venue because of instability in the former Soviet republic.
Vladimir Radionov said that he was also concerned about the crowd trouble which marred Georgia's Saturday match with Ireland.
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