Around 3.30 today Martin O'Neill will name perhaps the most important squad of his tenure as Irish manager. All of a sudden, a campaign that was sinking fast has steadied and we have those wonderful Georgians to thank for it. They're defeat of Scotland means that we head in to the games against Germany and Poland with a good chance of at least a play-off place.
The home game against Germany is going to be crucial in that regard. If we could take something off the Germans then the possibility that we could get automatic qualification becomes slightly more attainable. That task was made more difficult when Glenn Whelan picked up a booking against Georgia but if Ireland are to get anything from the world champions defensive solidity and pace on the break is going to be key.
Which is why Ireland fans gasped in unison when Seamus Coleman was forced off during Everton's 3-1 win over Chelsea. The maths were quickly totted up. If his hamstring injury was as bad as it was first feared, the Germany clash on October 8th was looking unlikely.
Thankfully Roberto Martinez has changed the habit of a lifetime and come back with some good news from one of his injury updates. Coleman and Muhamed Besic have both undergone scans and Martinez is confident they'll be available for selection next week at the very latest.
We've had positive news on both because the problem is the least we expected in terms of soft tissue injuries and they're both reacting well to treatment.
It's difficult to tell when we will be able to get them back but I would give both a chance to be involved at the weekend or Tuesday in the League Cup.
Splendid, cheers for that Roberto.
