keane
Home  »    »    »    »  Republic of Ireland aim for Pole position in Euro 2016 clash

Republic of Ireland aim for Pole position in Euro 2016 clash

| 29.03.2015
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Republic of Ireland will contest Group D leaders Poland in a crucial Euro 2016 qualifying encounter at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, knowing that a defeat could potentially cost them a place in next year’s competition.

Martin O’Neill’s Boys in Green, who are 6/4 with Coral to secure victory, can draw level on points with their Polish opposition with a win, and already boast the second best goal difference of the group so far.

All of the top four nations in Group D could possibly be level on 10 points each after this latest round of qualifiers, with Ireland aiming for a home triumph, Scotland set to tackle whipping boys Gibraltar and Germany facing a trip to struggling Georgia.

However, O’Neill’s men will need a faultless performance to overcome the group leaders, who are a 19/10 chance to win, having gone unbeaten so far in qualifying, netting an impressive 15 goals and conceding just twice in four games.

Ireland slipped to fourth place after a disappointing defeat to rivals Scotland in their last qualifying match-up, having previously grabbed a stunning 1-1 draw with World Cup champions Germany and also thumped Gibraltar 7-0. The hosts are available at 5/1 to win and both teams to score.

The hopeful home side have several in-form forwards to rely on, as well as the usually clinical old guard such as Robbie Keane, who is 7/4 to add to his amazing all-time international record anytime.

Ipswich Town striker Daryl Murphy looks set to make an appearance in Dublin, having struck an incredible 23 times this season, firing his club into a firm Championship play-off position. The Waterford-born striker is 8/1 to bag the last goal of the game against Poland.

Another Championship star Harry Arter is likely to make his international debut, after a sensational campaign with second-tier leaders Bournemouth, and he is a 7/2 chance to strike anytime on his international bow.

Adam Nawalka’s visitors will be anxious to take something away from this game and maintain their perfect start to the qualifying campaign. Poland’s two key attacking threats will undoubtedly be Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik, having formed a prolific partnership thus far.

Bayern Munich frontman Lewandowski is in fine goalscoring form in the Bundesliga, and recently reached the 20-goal mark for the current campaign. The Munich marksman is a 5/1 chance to open proceedings at the Aviva in his latest international outing.

Milik is also a deadly threat to the Irish defence, playing a key role in the hole behind Lewandowski, and the astute Ajax attacker is 2/1 to net anytime, having struck in his nation’s 4-0 win over Georgia last November.

Ireland will need to take points away from Dublin in order to keep their qualification hopes alive, with O’Neill’s men 11/8 to qualify for next summer’s competition in France.

«
»

Author

Lee Gormley

Lee joined the Coral team in 2014 after studying at Leeds Trinity University, having moved across the water from Ireland, and has plenty of industry experience from his time with various news outlets in both England and Northern Ireland. After graduating with a BA Honours degree in Sports Journalism, he has since become an important member of the talented sports desk, passionately covering boxing, football and snooker, among many other sports. Lee is also a massive Manchester United and Republic of Ireland fan, but curbs any bias during his work, and outside of his job can be found regularly taking part in sport himself, such as boxing, GAA and football.