Irish written off in America
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ROI take on Mexico in glamour friendly
Republic of Ireland start the month of June with a glamour friendly vs Mexico at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Putting the finishing touches to a team soon to face a crucial World Cup qualifier against Austria, they also look to take advantage of a healthy American support.
UK fans can follow the game live on Premier Sports in the early hours of Friday morning, and Coral help you burn the midnight oil with a bet on the outcome. Click here to view our wide range of markets, and back your best.
Green Army have never beaten Mexico
Ireland go into this tie having never beaten Mexico. Two previous competitive meetings show a 2-1 Mexico win at the World Cup back in 1994, and a 2-2 draw in 2000. Richard Dunne and Dominic Foley were on the scoresheet for The Green Army that day.
The fact that both teams have scored in each of those previous clashes certainly won’t be wasted on followers of the trends, and Coral traders are giving 6/5 on Friday’s result falling into line. This is a lot more likely, according to the market, than Ireland getting anywhere near winning the match however.
Our football guys believe the team are travelling across the Atlantic for nothing more than a run-out in the sun, but if you disagree and fancy a go on Martin O’Neill’s side winning the match, you won’t want to miss our hefty 5/1 price tag.
O’Neill’s boys working for their wins
ROI currently sit second in qualifying Group D, behind Serbia on goal difference alone, meaning they have every chance of progressing to the World Cup in Russia as group winners, but there’s plenty of football still to be played on that front. Wales lead the chasing pack for a place in the top-two, currently four points behind.
A record of three wins and two draws gives Ireland every hope, but they’ve had to roll up their sleeves and work for those points. Two of their three pool wins have come with a 1-0 final score, and an interest on the repeat here will give you a chance at banking the proceeds from 12/1.
Mexico target another confidence booster
Mexico, currently ranked 16th in the world, according to the latest FIFA poll, find themselves as red-hot favourites to get the desired result, and a spin through their recent results does little to put you off a bet on the jollies.
Wins over the likes of USA, Iceland, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago have boosted team-morale, and they’ve been spotted merely going through the motions to get the majority of those cheers. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio will certainly see this as an ideal opportunity to get another result, and try out a few tactics from the training ground in a live environment.
Those victories over Iceland, Costa Rica and T&T all came without conceding a goal, meaning El Tricolor to win to nil won’t be easily ignored, especially with 5/4 circling at the time of writing. Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez – who followers of the Premier League will recall from his days at Man Utd – is 7/2 market leader in the first scorer pile, while more reserved punters will get 23/20 on a goal anytime during play.
