O'Neill hopeful Dunne will play against Chelsea

Martin O’Neill is hopeful Richard Dunne’s desire to play for the Republic of Ireland against Italy will not rob the Aston Villa manager of his services for the clash with Chelsea on Saturday week.

Dunne suffered an ankle injury against his former club Manchester City after finding the net in the 1-1 draw on Monday and he has been forced to miss training in the build-up to the vital World Cup qualifier in Dublin.