Stephen Kelly is out of Ireland's Euro 2012 play-off decider against Estonia on Tuesday night at Landsowne Road.
The Fulham defender has been ruled out with a groin injury, although John O'Shea has recovered from a hamstring problem and is likely to slot into the right-back position.
Ireland Assistant manager Marco Tardelli confirmed Kelly's absence following training in Malahide this afternoon.
The Italian also revealed that midfielder Damien Duff was able to take part in the session despite returning from Tallinn with a rib injury.
Ireland defender Stephen Kelly has become Fulham manager Roy Hodgson's first summer capture after leaving Birmingham City to sign a three-year deal at Craven Cottage.
"I'm delighted to have joined a progressive club which has recently achieved its highest ever top-flight finish," the defender said.
The 25-year-old made six appearances while on loan at Stoke last season.
He also played every minute of Blues' unsuccessful fight against Premier League relegation in 2007-8.
Kelly missed much of the early part of last season with a thigh injury and was allowed to leave for a temporary stint with Tony Pulis's Stoke side in February, after the arrival of fellow Ireland international Stephen Carr and Portsmouth's Djimi Traore at St Andrew's.
But he made only two starts for the Britannia Stadium side as he found his way into the side blocked by the solid form of right-back Andy Wilkinson.
He will compete with John Pantsil for the same role at Craven Cottage and will face a similarly tough task to win a regular first-team slot after the Ghana international missed just one game of the west London side's Premier League campaign.
"Stephen is a talented young full-back with experience of playing in the Premier League as well as competing at international level," said Hodgson.
"He will be a useful addition as we look to improve our squad ahead of the start of next season and I am hopeful that we will be able to announce further additions in the coming weeks."
Kelly is a graduate of Tottenham's youth academy and played 44 times for Spurs before heading to Birmingham in a £750,000 switch in June 2006.
Stoke City’s Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan is backing his international team-mate Stephen Kelly to make an impact at the Britannia Stadium.
Kelly joined City on loan from Birmingham at the end of January, but hasn’t played since making his debut in the 2-0 defeat at Sunderland on February 7.
Both Kelly and club captain Andy Griffin have been kept out of the side by the impressive form of Andy Wilkinson at right-back.
But Whelan, who has known Kelly since their days playing youth football in Dublin, says the former Tottenham defender will let no one down if called upon.
He added: “I am sure once he is given the chance, Stoke fans will see what he can do.
“He’s a very good defender, but probably more of an attacking right-back. I am sure he will do very well.”
Whelan is hoping to take a huge step closer to Premier League survival, and the World Cup finals, over the next 17 days after he and Kelly were picked in the Republic of Ireland squad for the games at home to Bulgaria on March 28 and away to Italy on April 1.
Those games are sandwiched by Stoke’s home game with second-bottom Middlesbrough at the Britannia on Saturday and their trip to basement club West Brom on April 4.
Whelan intends to head to Ireland with Stoke out of the bottom three... and believes
City have an advantage over Gareth Southgate’s Middlesbrough.
He said: “They have been in the Premier League for a long time and maybe nobody expected them to be down there at the start of the season.
“They are under a lot more pressure than us because everyone expected us to go straight back down.
“But it will be a tough game. They will be fighting for their lives, and so will we.”
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni picked Whelan when the midfielder couldn’t get into the Stoke side in the first half of the season.
Whelan believes that helped him win his place back at Stoke, but doesn’t believe he could stay in the Ireland side in the long term unless he was also playing well for his club.
He said: “He (Trapattoni) has seen something in me and hopefully I have been putting performances in.
“The more games you play, the better you feel in terms of confidence and also match fitness. That helped me because, at the start of the season, I wasn’t playing as many games as I would have liked to at Stoke.
“But if I am not playing well for Stoke then I don’t think I have a chance with Ireland.”
Stoke City have confirmed they are still hoping to sign Birmingham City defender Stephen Kelly, despite the January transfer window closing at 5pm yesterday.
The Football Assocaition gave clubs special dispensation to complete deals which fell foul of yesterday’s poor weather, and City are now waiting to see if the loan deal agreed with Birmingham for Kelly is completed.
A statement published on the club’s official website said: “Stoke City Football Club are hoping to complete the signing Ireland international Stephen Kelly on loan from Birmingham City.
“The necessary paperwork to complete the deal for 25-year right-back was submitted before yesterday’s 5pm deadline. However, due to the adverse weather conditions the player was unable to travel to put pen to paper on the contract.”A deal to sign the 25-year-old on loan for the rest of the season was agreed before Monday's transfer deadline.
However the Dublin born defender could not travel to the Britannia Stadium because of the snow.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: "It's up in the air at the moment but he's been one we've been monitoring for some time."
Kelly played every minute of Birmingham's Premier League campaign last season but has been restricted to just seven appearances this season because of a thigh injury.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is hoping that fit again Stephen Kelly will return eager to bounce back from his early season misery.
The Ireland international is back in contention after three months out with a thigh muscle injury.
Prior to picking up his injury, the right-back was forced to play second fiddle to Stuart Parnaby at the start of the season.
Ironically Kelly was Blues’ only ever present outfield player last season yet he has only made one start and three substitute appearances during the current Championship campaign.
Now, with Nicky Hunt having been recalled by Bolton Wanderers, Kelly, for whom Blues rejected a £2.7 million bid from Fulham in the summer, will attempt to outmuscle Parnaby from the right-back berth.
And McLeish now wants to see the hungry Dubliner looking to make amends for his lack of action so far this season.
“Stephen Kelly hopefully comes back with all guns blazing,” said McLeish.
“He will be disappointed at not starting earlier in the season and I think it set him back a wee bit mentally, then, of cours,e he got an injury.
‘‘So I will be looking for Kel to come back and try to give Parnaby huge competition for the spot.
“I think Stephen will be anxious to get his head down and get back into the team, he’s been out for such a while I’m sure that will be his first mission.
“Stephen’s return to fitness has been absolute perfect timing"
