Finnan and Reid tipped for return for French showdown…

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Liam Brady has expressed his belief that Steve Finnan and Steven Reid could both return to the international squad for next month’s World Cup play-off showdown with France…

Finnan proved he is returning to full fitness, playing for Portsmouth in their defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, while Blackburn Rovers has assured the Irish set-up that Reid is on course for a full recovery from his long term knee injury, and could feature in fourth round of the Carling Cup next week.

Neither player have featured prominently in the group stages of the world cup qualifiers due to long standing injuries.

France visit Croke Park on November 14th, with the second leg of the play-off set for the Stade de France in Paris 4 days later.