Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has today announced his squad for the upcoming double header of World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Italy.

Ireland will host Bulgaria at Croke Park on Saturday, 28th March before travelling to face Italy in Bari on Wednesday, 1st April.

Speaking ahead of the Bulgaria game Trapattoni said, “So far in this group, Bulgaria have drawn all of their three World Cup qualifying matches. I have no doubt they will be invigorated by the appointment of their new manager, Stanimir Stoilov, and they will come to Croke Park looking for a win to kick-start their World Cup qualifying campaign.”

“Bulgaria have a strong tradition of football in their country with many well known players in their squad so we are under no illusion as to the task that awaits us on March 28. This game represents a real opportunity to open a significant gap at the top of the table in group 8. For the next six months we will be playing away so strong support in this last home game until October will be vital. Every point gained will be valuable in the race to qualify for South Africa”, he added.

The Irish boss has named a squad of twenty-six for the upcoming games and there remains no place for Andy Reid or Stephen Ireland for varying reasons. However, it has been confirmed that the squad will be culled down to twenty-three ahead of the Bulgaria game.

The squad in full:

  • Shay Given
  • Dean Kiely
  • Keiren Westwood
  • Alex Bruce
  • Damien Delaney
  • John O’Shea
  • Kevin Foley
  • Paul McShane
  • Richard Dunne
  • Stephen Kelly
  • Steve Finnan
  • Kevin Kilbane
  • Darren O’Dea
  • Aiden McGeady
  • Damien Duff
  • Darron Gibson
  • Glenn Whelan
  • Keith Andrews
  • Liam Miller
  • Stephen Hunt
  • Andy Keogh
  • Caleb Folan
  • Kevin Doyle
  • Robbie Keane
  • Shane Long
  • Noel Hunt