Cyrus Christie comes in for injured Seamus Coleman ahead of Slovakia playoff

Ireland's Cyrus Christie with Lasse Schone of Denmark. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Cyrus Christie has been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the international window after Seamus Coleman's withdrawal through injury.

Ireland face Slovakia in Bratislava on Thursday, in what is effectively a play-off semi-final for Euro 2020, and they follow it up with Nations League games against Wales in Dublin and Finland in Helsinki.

Coleman suffered what his club boss Carlo Ancelotti described as a minor hamstring injury playing for Everton against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Christie takes his place after playing the full game for Nottingham Forest against Bristol City on Saturday.

Matt Doherty is now certain to start against the Slovaks, if he wasn't already.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender was rested for the side's 6-1 defeat of Manchester United yesterday. In all, almost half of the eleven players in line for club duties yesterday either didn't play or were limited to a handful of minutes.

Kenny will be relieved by the lack of medical updates last night given he had already suffered the loss of Coleman and the earlier news that Blackburn Rovers' centre-back Darragh Lenihan had been injured in training on Friday and withdrawn from Ireland duties.

Burnley's Kevin Long has been drafted in for Lenihan after playing the 90 minutes against Newcastle United on Saturday evening while Kenny awaits news on Nottingham Forest midfielder Harry Arter who suffered a thigh injury against Bristol City.

Jack Byrne has been declared fit despite suffering a groin problem for Shamrock Rovers against Sligo Rovers on Friday night. Some of the squad arrive in Dublin as late as today with a first training session down for the afternoon.