Thursday, 11 October 2012

Republic Face Low with Walters

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Stoke's Jon Walters will lead the line for the Republic of Ireland when they face European Championship semi-finalists Germany at the Aviva Stadium in a World Cup qualifier on Friday night.

Walters comes in for Robbie Keane, who will miss his first competitive game since last October because of an Achilles injury.

Aiden McGeady and Simon Cox are to provide some width for the hosts while a three-man midfield of Keith Andrews, James McCarthy and Keith Fahey will line up behind Walters.

In the absence of Keane, John O'Shea will skipper the side, and he will move inside to partner Darren O'Dea at centre-back, so Seamus Coleman will man the right-back position, with Stephen Ward on the left.

The Republic won their opening World Cup qualifier 2-1 in Kazakhstan but they required two late goals to avoid a costly defeat and will be hoping for a better display on Friday.

The Germans sit atop Group C with six points from two matches, having won 2-1 in Austria before beating the Faroe Islands 3-0.

In the absence of the suspended Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will captain the visitors.

And coach Joachim Low may give Heiko Westermann his first cap in almost two years at full-back in place of Lahm.

Sami Khedira is favourite to partner Schweinsteiger in the middle of the pitch, although Low says Toni Kroos will be "playing a part at some stage of the game".

Republic of Ireland: Westwood, Coleman, O'Shea, O'Dea, Ward, McGeady, Andrews, McCarthy, Fahey, Cox, Walters.



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