Brady desperate to play role

Robbie Brady may not be Giovanni Trapattoni’s flavour of the month but he’s eager to be involved against Sweden on Friday for what he considers a “must-win” World Cup qualifier.

While the Hull City winger has recently incurred the wrath of the Ireland manager for his defensive shortcomings, Aiden McGeady’s injury-enforced absence heightens his prospects of involvement at the Aviva Stadium.

With Ireland locked in a three-way tussle with Sweden and Austria for second place in the group, accruing points to carry into October’s final qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan is the immediate priority.