Georgia and Northern Ireland clash in the UEFA Nations League on Friday and on the surface this looks like a meeting between two teams looking to avoid the drop down rather than win promotion.
Northern Ireland finished top of their League C group in the last edition of this tournament to secure automatic promotion, while Georgia crushed Armenia 9-1 on aggregate in a promotion/relegation play-off to retain their second-tier status.
These teams are joined by Hungary and Ukraine in UEFA Nations League B2 and are the two underdogs, but both will feel capable of pulling off an upset and nicking one of the top two spots.
Georgia v Northern Ireland Tips Summary
Best Bet - Georgia to win @ 17/20
Alternative Bet - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to score anytime @ 11/8
Bet Builder - Georgia to win to nil, Under 3 goals & Most goals in second half @ 27/4
Georgia v Northern Ireland Prediction
Best Bet: Georgia to win @ 17/20
These teams look fairly well matched and that is reflected in their FIFA rankings as Georgia are currently the No. 72 team in the world and Northern Ireland are two spots higher.
This should be a fairly close game but Georgia have home advantage and the additional benefit of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to call upon, two potentially decisive factors.
Georgia come into the contest in good form in general as they are on a four-game unbeaten run and on home soil they have been particularly strong.
Willy Sagnol’s side have won four of their last 10 home games and their only defeats during that run have come at the hands of strong France and Turkey sides, while Northern Ireland have struggled on the road.
The visitors have just one win in their last 12 trips, against Luxembourg, and they’ve lost eight of those games. That suggests Northern Ireland will fall short in Tbilisi on Friday.
Alternative Bet: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to score anytime @ 11/8
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored for Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa, but hasn’t been able to add to his account since.
However, Kvaratskhelia remains the most dangerous forward for his country and he looks their most likely scorer regardless.
The former Napoli man has 23 goals for Georgia, three behind all-time top scorer Shota Arveladze, and he is also their most likely penalty taker.
Opposing boss Michael O'Neill has labelled Kvaratskhelia as “one of the best in the world” ahead of Friday’s game and the Georgia forward stands out as the most likely scorer.
Georgia v Northern Ireland Bet Builder Tip
Georgia to win to nil
Under 3 goals
Most goals in second half
Pays 27/4
Georgia are expected to win and they may be able to get the job done without conceding even if the game is competitive.
Northern Ireland do have a strong scoring record on their travels but they have drawn blanks in two of their last four road losses and in three of their last seven games overall.
Meanwhile, Georgia have a habit of keeping clean sheets in victories as they have kept their opponents at bay in seven of their last eight wins.
The hosts can keep a clean sheet in a low-scoring contest and it seems likely the second half will yield the most goals.
Northern Ireland will look to keep things tight in the first half and Georgia tend to leave it late, as each of their last five goals has come after the interval.
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Key Match Stats
Northern Ireland won the only previous meeting 4-1 in 2008.
Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in Georgia’s last three games.
Northern Ireland have five defeats in their last nine games.
Neither of these teams has ever reached League A of the UEFA Nations League.
There have been fewer than three goals scored in seven of Northern Ireland’s last eight games.
Georgia have just three defeats in their last 19 home games.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
