Trio withdraw for Republic of Ireland

Richard Dunne, Ciaran Clark and Kevin Kilbane have withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Norway, the Football Association of Ireland have confirmed.

Aston Villa defender Dunne misses out with a knee injury, while his club team-mate has pulled out due to a calf problem and Hull midfielder Kilbane sits out with a back injury.

The trio join Robbie Keane (ankle), Caleb Folan (knee) and Paul Mc Shane (thigh) on the list of absentees, but manager Giovanni Trapattoni does not intend to bring in any new faces for the Aviva Stadium friendly.

Preston defender Sean St Ledger is also a major doubt after picking up a knock to his knee against Hull on Friday.