Republic of Ireland v Greece: Prediction, Tips and Odds

It is still early days for the Republic of Ireland in Nations League Group B2, but there were not many positives to take from their 2-0 defeat at home to England on Saturday, and another setback may follow at the hands of Greece.

Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both scored first-half goals against the country they once used to represent and that is how matters finished, with Ireland struggling to keep hold of possession and registering only one shot on target.

Greece, on the other hand, were emphatic 3-0 winners at home to Finland and they will know they have what it takes to down the Boys in Green, having beaten them home and away in European Championship qualification last season.

Republic of Ireland v Greece betting tips and predictions

Greece to win - 13/8

Greece may not be in the same mould as when causing a stir by winning Euro 2004, but there have been plenty of signs of a resurgence in recent times, and they should have Ireland's measure.

Ivan Jovanovic's side have lost only two of their last 10 matches in regulation time and those defeats came by one goal in showdown with heavyweights the Netherlands and Germany.

Greece have held France to a 2-2 draw in that time while they have twice got the better of Ireland, winning 2-1 in Athens in June last year before winning 2-0 here at the Aviva Stadium in October.

That means Greece are unbeaten in five internationals with Ireland and they look a big price for victory against a side lacking belief and firepower.

The Boys in Green have won only three of their last 14 matches, and two of those victories came against minnows Gibraltar, while the other was in a friendly at home to Hungary.

It means that Ireland have failed to score in six of their last nine matches, and in their latest 2-0 defeat to England, they lost the shot count 16-6, registering only one effort on goal.

Celtic's Adam Idah and Chiedozie Ogbene of Ipswich led the line against England as Brighton's Evan Ferguson works his way up to match speed following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Greece got their Nations League campaign started with an effortless 3-0 win at home to Finland, and their opponents managed only one shot on target, which shows a defensive discipline which could frustrate the toothless hosts.

Greece to win & under 2.5 goals - 7/2

While Greece are fancied to oblige, a high-scoring encounter looks out of the equation given five of Ireland's last seven matches have gone under 2.5 goals.

Both teams have scored in only two of Greece's last 12 international matches, too, which means defences will likely dominate in Dublin.

Four of the five meetings between this pair have featured two goals or fewer - there have been only a total of seven goals combined - and backing Greece to win a low-scoring contest could reap the rewards.

Dimitrios Pelkas to be shown a card - 15/4

Experienced Greek midfielder Pelkas played 90 minutes against Finland on Saturday and he looks a likely starter at the Aviva Stadium.

This could be a feisty affair - there were six yellow cards and one red when these two met in Athens just over a year ago - and Pelkas would be a strong booking candidate if tempers begin to flare.

The Istanbul Basaksehir midfielder was booked home and away against Ireland in Euro 2024 qualification and that means he has picked up six yellows and one red in 37 caps for Greece. 

At odds of 15/4, he is worthy of interest to be cautioned against the Boys In Green again.

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Republic of Ireland v Greece odds

Republic of Ireland 15/8
Draw 21/10
Greece 13/8

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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.