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Injury-plagued Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven Reid has returned to the Ireland squad for their final two home World Cup qualifiers.

Reid, absent from the squad for nearly a year with a knee injury, joins the provisional 27-man squad for the table-topping clash with Italy on October 10 and final Group 8 fixture against Montenegro four days later.

However there was still no place in the extended squad for Sunderland midfielder Andy Reid while fellow midfielder Stephen Ireland of Manchester City's self-imposed exile continues.

Ireland, unbeaten in their opening eight group games, trail leaders Italy by four points and hold a comfortable five-point lead over third-placed Bulgaria.

Giovanni Trapattoni will also lead Ireland's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign after the Italian manager signed a new two-year contract.

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Manchester City), Keiren Westwood (Coventry City), Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United)

Defenders: John O'Shea (Manchester United), Kevin Foley (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Kevin Kilbane (Hull City), Eddie Nolan (Preston North End), Sean St. Ledger (Middlesbrough), Paul McShane (Hull City), Darren O'Dea (Celtic)

Midfielders: Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Damien Duff (Fulham), Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Liam Miller (Hibernian), Stephen Hunt (Hull City), Andy Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Steven Reid (Blackburn Rovers), Liam Lawrence (Stoke City)

Forwards: Caleb Folan (Middlesbrough), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Shane Long (Reading), Leon Best (Coventry City)

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has named a 23-man squad for a home friendly against Qatar in Rijeka on October 8 and the World Cup Group Six qualifier away to Kazakhstan six days later, minus Luka Modric.

Bilic is shorn of the services of injured Tottenham star Luka Modric, but the Premier League is well represented with Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar, Eduardo and Ivan Klasnic in the party.

Goalkeepers: Vedran Runje (RC Lens), Danijel Subasic (Hajduk Split), Matej Delac (Inter Zapresic).

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur), Josip Simunic (Hoffenheim), Ivica Krizanac (Zenit St. Petersburg), Robert Kovac (Dinamo Zagreb), Hrvoje Vejic (Hajduk Split), Dejan Lovren (Dinamo Zagreb), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Hrvoje Cale (Trabzonspor).

Midfielders: Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham Hotspur), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Nikola Pokrivac (Salzburg), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke), Anas Sharbini (Hajduk Split)

Forwards: Ivica Olic (Bayern Munich), Eduardo da Silva (Arsenal), Mladen Petric (Hamburg SV), Mario Mandzukic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Klasnic (Bolton).

Russia coach Guus Hiddink has called up uncapped goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanayev for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Azerbaijan.

Dzhanayev, 22, replaces Russia's number two keeper Vladimir Gabulov, who is out for the season after breaking his jaw in a league match this month.

Dzhanayev has established himself as undisputed number one at his club Spartak Moscow this season, relegating experienced Croatian keeper Stipe Pletikosa to the bench.

Hiddink also recalled Dmitry Torbinsky for the first time in nearly six months after the Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder recovered from a number of injuries.

Russia face Germany in the top-of-the-table European Group Four clash on Oct. 10 in Moscow before travelling to Baku for their final qualifier against Azerbaijan four days later.

The Germans lead Russia by a point and will clinch a place in next year's finals in South Africa with a win in Moscow.

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Soslan Dzhanayev (Spartak Moscow)

Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg)

Midfielders: Igor Semshov (Zenit St Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit St Petersburg), Igor Denisov (Zenit St Petersburg), Sergei Semak (Rubin Kazan), Alan Dzagoyev (CSKA Moscow), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Everton), Alexei Rebko (FK Moscow), Dmitry Torbinsky (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham Hotspur), Pavel Pogrebnyak (VfB Stuttgart), Alexander Kerzhakov (Dynamo Moscow), Alexander Bukharov (Rubin Kazan).

Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov has recalled Leicester City defender Alexander Tunchev for next month's 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia.

Tunchev, 28, was preferred to Sanfreche's Iliyan Stoyanov for the October 10 and 14 games, which Bulgaria must win to keep alive their chances in the race for the runners-up spot in Group Eight.

Stoilov will add home-based players to the squad next week. Squad (overseas players only):

Goalkeepers: Dimitar Ivankov (Bursaspor), Nikolay Mihaylov (Twente Enschede).

Defenders: Stanislav Manolev (PSV Eindhoven), Alexandar Tunchev (Leicester City).

Midfielders: Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa), Stanislav Angelov (Energie Cottbus), Blagoy Georgiev (Terek Grozny), Chavdar Yankov (Duisburg), Martin Petrov (Manchester City).

Strikers: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United), Dimitar Rangelov (Borussia Dortmund), Valeri Domovchiyski (Hertha Berlin), Valeri Bojinov (Parma).

Austria coach Didi Constantini, whose side still have an outside chance of reaching next year's World Cup, has been forced to name an injury-weakened squad for next month's qualifiers.

Captain Emanuel Pogatetz, Werder Bremen defender Sebastian Proedl and Spartak Moscow defender Martin Stranzl were left out due to lack of match fitness for the games against Lithuania and France, Austria's last in European Group Seven.

Constantini also declined to recall midfielder and former captain Andreas Ivanschitz, who has recovered from injury, and overlooked defender Gyoergy Garics and Inter Milan forward Marko Arnautovic.

Goalkeepers: Christian Gratzei (Sturm Graz), Helge Payer (Rapid Wien), Andreas Schranz (Austria Kaernten)

Defenders: Ekrem Dag (Besiktas), Aleksandar Dragovic (Austria Vienna), Christian Fuchs (VfL Bochum), Manuel Ortlechner (Austria Vienna), Juergen Patocka (Rapid Vienna), Paul Scharner (Wigan Athletic), Franz Schiemer (Salzburg), Andreas Ulmer (Salzburg)

Midfielders: Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria Vienna), Daniel Beichler (Sturm Graz), Christopher Drazan (Rapid Vienna), Andreas Hoelzl (Sturm Graz), Jakob Jantscher (Sturm Graz), Yasin Pehlivan (Rapid Vienna), Thomas Prager (LASK Linz)

Forwards: Erwin Hoffer (Napoli), Marc Janko (Salzburg), Stefan Maierhofer (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Roman Wallner (LASK Linz)

Bosnia coach Miroslav Blazevic has named a 24-man squad for the World Cup Group Five qualifiers away to Estonia on October 10 and at home to Spain four days later.

Goalkeepers: Kenan Hasagic (Istanbul BB SK), Nemanja Supic (Timisoara), Asmir Begovic (Portsmouth)

Defenders: Emir Spahic (Montpellier), Adnan Mravac (Westerlo), Sanel Jahic (AEK Athens), Damir Mirvic (Roselare), Boris Pandza (Hajduk Split), Safet Nadarevic (Eskisehirspor)

Midfielders: Dzemal Berberovic (Denizlispor), Dario Damjanovic (Kaiserslautern), Samir Muratovic (Sturm Graz), Semir Stilic (Lech Poznan), Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim), Miralem Pjanic (Lyon), Zvjezdan Misimovic (VfL Wolfsburg), Zlatan Bajramovic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Senijad Ibricic (Hajduk Split), Elvir Rahimic (CSKA Moscow)

Forwards: Zlatan Muslimovic (PAOK Salonika), Admir Vladavic (Salzburg), Vedad Ibisevic (Hoffenheim), Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg), Mirko Hrgovic (Greuther Furth)

Estonia coach Tarmo has named a 20-man squad for the 2010 World Cup Group Five qualifiers in Tallinn against Bosnia on October 10 and against Belgium four days later.

Goalkeepers: Mihkel Aksalu (Tallinna FC Flora) Pavel Londak (FK Bodo/Glimt), Sergei Pareiko (Tom Tomsk)

Defenders: Alo Barengrub (FK Bodo/Glimt), Enar Jaager (Ascoli), Ragnar Klavan (AZ Alkmaar), Dmitri Kruglov (PFC Neftshi Bakuu), Raio Piiroja (Fredrikstad FK), Taavi Rahn (PFC Neftshi Bakuu), Tihhon Sisov (Tallinna FC Levadia)

Midfielders: Aleksandr Dmitrijev (Honefoss BK), Tarmo Kink (Gyori Eto FC) Joel Lindpere (Tromso), Sander Puri (Tallinna FC Levadia), Konstantin Vassiljev (NK Nafta Lendava), Martin Vunk (Tallinna FC Flora)

Forwards: Andres Oper (Shanghai Shenhua), Ats Purje (FC International Turku), Kaimar Saag (Silkeborg IF), Vladimir Voskoboinikov (Luts-Energia Vladivostok).

Reuters