Greece vs Ireland prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-06-15 18:45.
Greece made the perfect start to their UEFA European Championship Qualifying (ECQ) campaign back in March as they strolled to a 3-0 victory over minnows Gibraltar. Getting on the front foot immediately was crucial for Gus Poyet’s men, with heavyweights France and Netherlands big favourites to secure the automatic qualifying places in this group.
Backing up that result in this first-ever competitive meeting with the Republic of Ireland carries huge significance then, although the two countries have met three times before in friendlies, with Greece enjoying the H2H success (W2, D1). The 2004 European champions will hope to extend that record having lost just one of their last 16 home internationals (W9, D6), while they could win four ECQ matches in a row for the first time since 2011 with three points here.
Ireland travel to Athens having tasted defeat in their opening fixture against France, but encouragingly, their performance in a 1-0 defeat earned plaudits. Points are the order of the day for Stephen Kenny’s side though, with their boss admitting that “match fitness will be short” given that key players have been deprived of game time for their club sides at the tail end of the season.
A warm-weather training camp in Turkey was designed to help Kenny’s charges acclimatise to the conditions they are likely to experience in Greece, but a lack of wins on the road has plagued Ireland for a long while, as the only team they’ve beaten in an away ECQ outing since defeating Georgia in September 2014 is Gibraltar (D4, L4). The winning feeling has been elusive wherever they’ve played in this competition of late, with the Boys in Green without a victory in six ECQ matches (D3, L3) – their joint-longest run ever!
Players to watch: No player in the Eredivisie netted more goals than Tasos Douvikas’ 20 in 2022/23, so he’ll be hoping to build on his one Greece strike having been recalled to the squad after missing the March internationals. Ireland have a striking sensation of their own however as 18-year-old Evan Ferguson looks set to lead the line after a breakthrough season at Brighton that saw him score six Premier League goals – the highest figure by a teenager in the division during the campaign.
Hot stat: Ireland have scored just once in their last five ECQs (D2, L3).