TROY PARROTT, RONAN Curtis, Ryan Manning, and the uncapped Conor Coventry are the four players to miss out on Ireland’s 23-man matchday squad for tonight’s World Cup qualifier with Serbia in Belgrade [Live RTE Two, Sky Sports Football; KO 7.45pm].
Teams must register a 23-man squad with Uefa the day of a game, and the above quartet miss out for Ireland. Uefa rules stipulate that each squad must include two substitute goalkeepers.
Mark Travers will start in goal for Ireland, though Stephen Kenny has kept shtum on the other details of his starting XI, which will be announced 90 minutes before kick-off.
Marko Grujic, on loan at Porto from Liverpool, is among the swathe of Serbia players to miss out on their squad, along with defender Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), forward Đordje Despotović (Rubin Kazan), and midfielders Nemanja Radonjic (Hertha), Nenad Krsticic (AEK), Darko Lazovic (Verona), Marko Grujic (Porto), Ivan Ilic (Verona) and Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK).
Tonight’s game is the first of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers in Group A, with each manager permitted five substitutions. VAR won’t be in operation.
Republic of Ireland matchday squad
Goalkeepers: Mark Travers, Gavin Bazunu, Kieran O’Hara
Defenders: Seamus Coleman, Matt Doherty, Ciaran Clark, Shane Duffy, Dara O’Shea, Enda Stevens, Darragh Lenihan, Cyrus Christie
Midfielders: Robbie Brady, James McClean, Jeff Hendrick, Daryl Horgan, Alan Browne, Josh Cullen, Jayson Molumby, Jason Knight
Forwards: Aaron Connolly, James Collins, Shane Long, Callum Robinson
