Republic of Ireland v Ukraine betting tips: Irish out to end Nations League drought
Republic of Ireland v Ukraine betting tips, odds and preview
The Republic of Ireland are still without a victory in the Nations League as they prepare to face Ukraine in Dublin.
A 1-0 defeat in Armenia at the weekend continued the Republic’s poor run in this competition but they are favourites to end their drought on Wednesday night.
The Aviva Stadium clash kicks off at 7.45pm and is live on Premier Sports as we pick out some Republic of Ireland v Ukraine betting tips.
Underdogs deserve respect
Republic of Ireland had been in decent form recently but their Nations League misery continued on Saturday as Eduard Spertsyan blasted Armenia to victory with his 75th-minute goal in Yerevan.
Stephen Kenny’s men, who have now not won in 11 attempts since the competition was introduced, could have few complaints on a night when their eight-game unbeaten run came to a disappointing end at a sweltering Republican Stadium.
Ireland enjoyed the upper hand for long periods, but failed to convert dominance into chances. Callum Robinson had a mishit first-half shot cleared off the line and Chiedozie Ogbene headed over when he might have done better, but they wilted after the break and were caught by a sucker punch, albeit one delivered with aplomb.
The Republic are 20 places below Ukraine in the FIFA rankings and look uneasy favourites at 13/10, with Ukraine appearing better value at 23/10 or 6/5 in the ‘draw no bet’ market.
Cruel defeat for Ukraine
Ukraine must try to pick themselves up after the disappointment of missing out on World Cup qualification at the weekend.
Securing a place at the finals in Qatar would have been a morale boost for the country during the ongoing conflict in the country but despite being the choice of neutrals, they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Wales.
WALES LEAD! 🏴
Gareth Bale's free-kick is diverted into his own net by
Andriy Yarmolenko! 😮 pic.twitter.com/cyj9ZrUlSK— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) June 5, 2022
Manager Oleksandr Petrakov said: “We did everything we could. I want to say sorry that we didn’t score. This is sport. One team got lucky, the other team did not get all the luck they needed.
“I do not have any criticism for any players in the team. There is no need to touch any of the players. If you want to criticise, criticise me. If the team loses, the only loser is the coach.”
Ukraine were the better team for long periods and although their motivation levels could be forgiven for dropping here, Ukraine’s players will still be playing for national pride.
Last week’s 3-1 victory over Scotland in the semi-final highlighted their attacking threat and 12/5 for the Euro 2020 quarter-finalists to score at least two goals is worth considering for Republic of Ireland v Ukraine betting tips.
Pressure on hosts
Ireland must regroup quickly if they are to have any hope of winning the group and the pressure is now on to make the most of back-to-back home games, with Scotland the third instalment of this month’s quadruple-header.
The defeat in Yerevan was perhaps their most disappointing result since they were beaten 1-0 at home by Luxembourg in March last year but boss Stephen Kenny is looking forwards rather than behind him.
Asked about his challenge to his players to win the group, he said: “We’ve made life difficult for ourselves, but rather than focusing on that, we’ve got to focus on bouncing back on Wednesday.
“We’ve got two home games now, we need to dust ourselves down. We’re disappointed with ourselves, we know it’s a poor result, we’re well aware of that.”
The need for points will hopefully lead to more attacking intent from the Irish and both teams to score catches the eye at evens.
Looking at the #YourCall markets for some Republic of Ireland v Ukraine betting tips, the visitors to win or draw, both teams to score in the second half and over 2.5 goals appeals at 15/2.
Alternatively, both teams to score, over 2.5 goals and either team to win is an option at 9/4.
Republic of Ireland v Ukraine team news
Kenny will have to assess the toll 90 gruelling minutes under the Armenian sun and the long journey back to Dublin took on his players before he names his team.
One man who will not be involved is skipper Seamus Coleman, who has been ruled out with a groin injury and could struggle to make Saturday’s clash with Scotland and the return against Ukraine in Poland next Tuesday.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
