Republic of Ireland squad await latest round of Covid-19 testing

The results of the latest round of FAI Covid-19 screening will be known later today.

The Republic of Ireland squad are due to travel to Helsinki tomorrow, ahead of their meeting with Finland.

Adam Idah will return to the squad, having missed Thursday's draw with Slovakia in the playoffs.

He's been given the all-clear to link up again, after the Covid-19 case which ruled him out of the game in Bratislava was deemed to be a "false positive".

Dara O'Shea, Jason Knight, Ryan Manning and Ronan Curtis have also been called into the group.

Finland beat Bulgaria 2-0 last night in the other game in Ireland's group.

Those results mean that Ireland are in third position in the table on two points, five behind leaders Wales.

Boss Stephen Kenny says international football is in a precarious position when it comes to Covid-19, but he's hoping it can continue.

"You want life not to be interrupted, sport is very important, football is the most participated sport in the country and the Irish national team is a very important part of Irish sport - and life.

"We don't want that to be diminished, we don't want that to happen.

"But there are serious challenges, I'm sure there's a lot of anxiety with the clubs as well, and that's something for everything to consider."

Kenny lost five players just before kick off in yesterday's 0-0 draw with Wales, after one player returned a positive Covid-19 test and four others were  deemed close contacts.

And Kenny has praised his squad for the resilience they showed during a difficult week.

"It all had to be sorted out before breakfast, and thankfully the players' attitude is just brilliant, they're a really good group.

"They love playing for Ireland, and they showed their professionalism by performing to the level that they did."