Robbie ready to take on England

Captain Robbie Keane will be fit to lead the Republic of Ireland into friendly battle with England at Wembley.

The 32-year-old, who has missed the last three games for club Los Angeles Galaxy with an ankle injury, was today named in Giovanni Trapattoni’s provisional 28-man squad for the friendlies against England, Georgia and Spain either side of next month’s World Cup qualifier clash with the Faroe Islands.

There were returns for Spartak Moscow midfielder Aiden McGeady and Norwich’s Anthony Pilkington, but there was no place for Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne, who may yet train with the squad as he continues his recovery from a long-standing groin problem, or the injured Ciaran Clark and Kevin Doyle.

Squad: David Forde (Millwall), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), Darren Randolph (Motherwell), John O’Shea (Sunderland), Sean St Ledger (Leicester), Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace), Richard Keogh (Derby), Marc Wilson (Stoke), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Stephen Kelly (Reading), Darren O’Dea (Toronto), Paul McShane (Hull), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), James McCarthy (Wigan), Paul Green (Leeds), Jeff Hendrick (Derby), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Anthony Pilkington (Norwich), James McClean (Sunderland), Robbie Brady, David Meyler (both Hull), Andy Keogh (Millwall), Robbie Keane (Los Angeles Galaxy), Shane Long (West Brom), Conor Sammon (Derby), Jon Walters (Stoke), Simon Cox (Nottingham Forest), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich).