Soccer-Injured Irish trio out of World Cup qualifiers

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Ireland's Aiden McGeady, Sean St Ledger and Joey O'Brien have withdrawn from the squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers because of knee injuries, the country's football association (FAI) said on Friday. Giovanni Trapattoni's side host Sweden on Sept. 6 before travelling to Vienna to take on Austria four days later in Group C. Ireland are fourth in the group but level on 11 points with third-placed Sweden and second-placed Austria. Germany top the standings with 16 points from six matches. "Aiden McGeady pulled out of training with Spartak Moscow this week with an ongoing knee injury, while Sean St Ledger is still working his way back to full fitness after injuring his knee in early August," the FAI said in a statement. "West Ham's Joey O'Brien is also suffering from a knee injury and is undergoing treatment at his club. "There are no plans at present to add any replacements." (Reporting by Sonia Oxley; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)