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Greece v Republic of Ireland
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Kick Off: Sunday 13th October at 19:45
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Competition: UEFA Nations League
Nations League B Group 2 pace-setters Greece have an unblemished record to protect when they host a buoyant Republic of Ireland side at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki on Sunday evening.
Fresh from a comeback win in Finland – which was their first victory in a competitive fixture since October last year – Ireland will head to Greece with renewed confidence. However, the Greeks were comfortably the better side when the teams met in Dublin in September and the Ethniki have been priced to prevail again.
⭐ Greece v Republic of Ireland Best Bets
An energetic second-half display allowed Ireland to record a 2-1 comeback victory over Finland in Helsinki on Thursday evening, however, they will need more than running power to match in-form Greece and the hosts are generously priced to push their Nations League winning streak to four successive matches.
Greece scored a historic – and richly-deserved – first-ever win over England (2-1) in midweek to add to September’s Nations League wins over Finland (3-0) and the Republic of Ireland (2-0). In their success over the Irish in Dublin, the Greeks conceded just one shot on target and were comfortably in command, and a repeat result could be in the offing in Piraeus.
Greece have lost only two of their last 23 matches on home soil (vs Netherlands & Spain) and they have yet to drop a point under new Head Coach Ivan Jovanović. Side with the Greeks at attractive odds here.
🔍 Greece v Republic of Ireland Players to Watch
🔵 Vangelis Pavlidis
Vangelis Pavlidis often cuts a frustrated figure for Greece, though the attacker snapped a run of 17 games without a goal for his country when he scored a brace for the Ethniki in their historic win over England at Wembley Stadium, so expect the Benfica star to be brimming with confidence against Ireland.
Pavlidis has been averaging 1.09 and 1.85 shots on target per 90 in the Portuguese top tier and the Champions League respectively this term, while the 25-year-old has also been hitting 1.68 SOT p/90 for his country in the Nations League. This is very much a striker in form, so back Pavlidis to test Caoimhín Kelleher with at least one accurate effort in Piraeus.
🟢 Robbie Brady
Robbie Brady was Ireland’s match-winner in Finland thanks to a well-taken 88th-minute finish at the back post, though the veteran defender is generally better known for his aggressive tackles than his match-changing contributions.
Indeed, Brady committed four fouls when Ireland were beaten by Greece in Dublin in September and the 32-year-old struggled to cope with the Greek’s neat combination play down his flank. Brady avoided a booking on that occasion, though he has picked up a yellow card in five of his last ten appearances for club and country overall, and he could be on the official’s radar again on Sunday.
🟢 Evan Ferguson
Evan Ferguson has been feeling his way back to full fitness this season and though he looked a little ring rusty on his first start (for either club or country) against Finland on Thursday, the Brighton starlet still managed to muster four attempts, with three of those hitting the target.
With that 70-minute runout in Helsinki proving a useful outing, Ferguson should be fitter and sharper against Greece on Sunday and the 19-year-old is reliable enough with either foot to aim another effort on target.
📂 Greece v Republic of Ireland Cheat Sheet
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💻 Greece v Republic of Ireland Form and Tactics
New Greece Head Coach Ivan Jovanović has enjoyed a stellar start to his tenure and Greece’s historic 2-1 win over England at Wembley Stadium was his third victory in as many fixtures since his appointment in August.
Jovanovic has enjoyed early success with a 4-2-3-1 formation while his central defensive pairing of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Konstantinos Koulierakis has shown promise and provided a solid platform.
Indeed, Greece have conceded just 1.33 shots on target per 90 in the Nations League so far and they kept clean sheets in two of their first three fixtures in League B Group 2, so a notoriously toothless Ireland could struggle to break them down.
The Irish broke their duck in terms of goals and points against Finland on Thursday with an XI that featured four changes from the side that was well-beaten by Greece in Dublin in September.
Ireland have been averaging just 9.67 shots per 90 in the Nations League, which is one of the lowest outputs across the tournament so far, though they clocked 10 second-half attempts against Finland overall after new boss Heimir Hallgrímsson called for quicker football during the interval.
That win in Helsinki was only Ireland’s fourth victory in 16 fixtures since March 2023, however. Ipswich winger Chiedozie Ogbene was again a standout player for the Boys in Green. Look out for the 27-year-old’s surges down the right flank in Greece.
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🏁 Greece v Republic of Ireland Ref Watch
- Referee: Joey Kooij
- The last six fixtures officiated by Dutchman Joey Kooij featured an average of 6.00 cards per game.
- Kooij brandished eight cards in his last international fixture (Bulgaria U21 vs Poland U21, Sep 10th).
- In total, Kooij has taken charge of 13 games in all competitions since the summer. Those matches averaged 3.15 cards per 90 minutes.
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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