Miller and Long both ruled out

Soccer:Republic of Ireland midfielder Liam Miller and striker Shane Long have been withdrawn from the squad for Saturday's World Cup play-off with France through injury.

The Hibernian midfielder underwent a scan on his damaged calf last night and was today back at his club after the injury ruled him out of the first leg game at Croke Park.

Reading striker Long did not join up with the squad because of a similar problem, but manager Giovanni Trapattoni will not call up any replacements.

The Italian conducted his latest training session at a windy Gannon Park in Malahide this morning with the rest of the players fit and well.

Reserve keeper Joe Murphy sat out the last few minutes of the session but assistant manager Marco Tardelli played down the problem.

Tardelli has warned France manager Raymond Domenech that Ireland firmly believe they succeed over the two legs, regardless of the form book.

Domenech’s star-studded team will be hot favourites to erase the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification and securing their passage via the back door.

However, Tardelli is adamant they should take nothing for granted against the unbeaten Irish.

He said: “The team believes it is possible to win — anything is possible in football. Now we are a good team and we believe we can qualify.

“For us, it’s very important to begin with big pressure because it’s our weapon. It’s very important for us because we can’t give the French players space on the pitch, because they are very strong.

“You know the names — they play with Real Madrid, with Barcelona, with Chelsea. They are very good players.”

Trapattoni has admitted that a clean sheet on Saturday could prove crucial to his side’s hopes of completing the job in Paris, although Tardelli insists Ireland will not settle for a 0-0 draw.

He said: “No, we would prefer to win. I would not be happy. Nil-nil might not be a bad result and it is very important not to concede a goal, but I would prefer to win.”