Will the hosts survive? Ireland vs England Prediction
One of the first-round matches in the UEFA Nations League will be played on Saturday at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, where the Republic of Ireland will host England. Here’s the expert prediction from Dailysports for this fixture.
Ireland
The Republic of Ireland has largely remained in the shadows of major international competitions, only occasionally making an appearance. Over the past two decades, the "Boys in Green" have qualified for the European Championships just a few times, and their presence at the World Cup has been nonexistent. It's no surprise that Ireland failed to qualify for Euro 2024, finishing second to last in their qualification group.
Out of eight games, they managed only two wins, both against the weak Gibraltar side. They also failed to secure a playoff spot through the Nations League. In recent months, Ireland has only been involved in friendlies, where results have been far from impressive—just one victory over Hungary (2-1), draws against New Zealand and Belgium (1-1, 0-0), and defeats to Switzerland and Portugal (0-1, 0-3).
England
England remains with only one major international trophy: their home World Cup win in 1966. Since then, the national team has struggled to reach the top level, although Gareth Southgate managed to build a pragmatic but cautious team that began to deliver results.
At Euro 2020, the "Three Lions" reached the final but lost to Italy in a penalty shootout. At Euro 2024, they once again made it to the final but conceded a late goal to Spain, losing 1-2. This tournament marked Southgate's final stint as head coach, and now Lee Carsley will take over, hoping to translate his success with the youth team to the senior squad.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- The last meeting between the teams was in November 2020, when England defeated Ireland 3-0 at home.
- Prior to that, the previous five encounters all ended in draws, four of which were 1-1.
- Four matches played in Ireland ended in a draw.
Ireland vs England Prediction
As history shows, Ireland always puts up a fight against England at home, and this match is likely to follow that trend. Bookmakers favor England with modest odds of 1.52 for their win. Our prediction for this match is "Total Under 2.5" with odds of 1.83.
