The goalkeeper may be known as "Lazarus" because of his ability to recover from injuries, but Sheffield United's Paddy Kenny has been put on standby.Robbie Keane is also a worry - not because of injury but because of his poor form. But that will matter little if the Swiss are defeated at Lansdowne Road as Group Four, the tightest of all World Cup qualifying groups, is settled.Ireland's prospects will be damaged if Given - their best player by far at present - is further troubled by the ankle injury he picked up in training yesterday. Under pressure from the Football Association of Ireland - who have no intention of renewing his contract unless at least the play-offs are reached - he has become an increasingly tetchy, irritable figure, lashing out at his critics and doing himself or his prospects little help in the process.Although Ireland squeaked to victory against Cyprus at the weekend, keeping their hopes alive, the performance was as bad as many observers could remember. With Damien Duff back at Chelsea for assessment after damaging ligaments in his left knee - which may mean a six-week lay-off - and Roy Keane nursing a broken bone in his foot, then Ireland's manager, Brian Kerr, could be forgiven for believing the footballing Gods were against him. Kerr certainly thinks everyone else is.

The crisis enveloping the Republic of Ireland continued yesterday with an injury scare for Shay Given, serious concern over the form of Robbie Keane - and a bizarre claim from Richard Dunne that the players "want the crowd and the media on our side" for tomorrow's must-win tie against Switzerland. The chances of his being recalled by Smith will be improved by the absence of Wigan's Lee McCulloch, whose toe injury forced him to join the suspended captain, Barry Ferguson, in not travelling.* The Wales defender James Collins could make a surprise comeback to play in tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan despite being taken off during the 3-2 victory over Northern Ireland in Belfast on Saturday with a dislocated shoulder.. McFadden felt it was "unfair" for people to be "depressed and negative", pointing out that Scotland fought their way into play-off contention despite being written off after starting with two points from three games under Berti Vogts.The former Motherwell forward has started Everton's last five matches, his longest run in David Moyes' team. That would confirm a rapid decline - Craig Brown led them into the Euro 2000 qualifiers as first seeds - and could lead to their being grouped with four of next summer's World Cup finalists.It would also reduce the likelihood of McFadden, 22, and others of his generation appearing in a major tournament.

Victory tomorrow, however, would see Scotland regain fourth-seed status, thereby easing, if only marginally, the task confronting Walter Smith in his first full qualifying campaign.The newspapers that were passed around among the squad en route to the tiny former Yugoslav republic contained damning criticism of their display on Saturday. The Everton attacker, who is eager to return after being suspended for the chastening defeat at Hampden Park, claimed the players are always proud to represent Scotland. As for the game in Celje, it offered those like himself, on the fringes of what he termed "a settled side", the opportunity "to show the manager what they can do" with the European Championship in mind. There is another reason why the match in the 5,000-capacity Petrol Arena retains a significance for both countries, even if McFadden confessed to having been ignorant of Uefa's seeding system, adding: "As long as we try to win, it doesn't matter what we're winning it for." If Scotland were to finish where they stand now, fifth out of six teams, they would be in the fifth pot of seeds in the draw for the qualifying rounds of Euro 2008. The qualification is secure but Rooney was emphatic yesterday in his desire to see his nation finish top of Group Six and admitted that England "could be playing better" as they begin their preparation for the World Cup finals.. Scotland will be playing for mere pride against Slovenia tomorrow. That, at least, was the consensus after Belarus dashed their hopes of coming from the back of the pack, ?a Kimi Raikonnen, to the World Cup finals. James McFadden disagrees, viewing the fixture not as the end of Group Five, but the start of the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.