Greece vs Ireland prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League B betting tips on match 2024-10-12 18:45.
[p]It was an emotional occasion at Wembley on Thursday night as Greece honoured former player George Baldock, who passed away suddenly this week at the age of 31, with a famous 2-1 win away to England in the UEFA Nations League (UNL). Vangelis Pavlidis, scorer of the late winner, emotively stated that the team “gave everything” in their teammate’s memory, continuing what’s been a perfect start to this UNL campaign (W3). [/p]
[p]Their maiden campaign in League B of this competition is therefore off to the perfect start, and things should only get easier on home soil where they’ve lost just once in the UNL at any level (W7, D2). A near-perfect H2H record (W5, D1) against upcoming opponents Republic of Ireland suggests the good times aren’t about to end, especially as they’ve kept five clean sheets in that run – including in a 2-0 win in September’s reverse fixture![/p]
[p]Ireland were also 2-1 winners on matchday three, matching their hosts by scoring late to secure victory against Finland – their first-ever UNL success on the road (D3, L5). It was also the first time the Boys in Green came from behind to win a competitive match in 11 years, and boss Heimir Hallgrimsson believes it will “help confidence” in his squad.[/p]
[p]The challenge for Ireland now is to string together back-to-back competitive away wins for the first time since November 2021, though stiffer opposition certainly awaits considering those successes came against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg. Achieving such a feat would be a shock no matter the venue in truth, as Ireland have never won successive UNL matches since the tournament’s inception![/p]
[p]Key battle: Greece striker Pavlidis was the hero on Thursday as he netted both goals on the road, yet five of his other six goals for the national team came in home victories. Ireland centre-back Nathan Collins could be tasked with tying him down, but he’ll have an eye on a goal of his own, considering that he scored for Brentford before the international break and is the only Irish player to ever find the net against Greece![/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only one of Greece’s ten UNL home games saw both teams score.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]