IRELAND start their Nations League with a visit to a boiling Yerevan when they face Armenia on Saturday.
Temperatures are forecast to reach 35 degrees in the Armenian capital, but Stephen Kenny's side daren't drop points against the weakest team in the group, which also features Scotland and Ukraine.
The Irish look like they are starting to make a bit of progress under the former Dunfermline manager, who had an abysmal; start to his regime and was arguably, lucky to be handed a new deal.
They are now unbeaten in eight games which included draws against Portugal and Belgium. But they were miles behind the Portuguese and Serbia in their World Cup campaign where they won just two matches and managed to lose at home to Luxembourg and draw in Dublin with Azerbaijan.
However, they are facing an Armenian side who must be one of the most off-form team in the world just now. A 9-0 trouncing in Norway was their last outing and they have won just once in their last 11 games and that was at home to Montenegro.
So the Irish should have nothing to fear…apart from the conditions.
How the bookies view it?
Ireland can be backed at evens to win here with UniBet. The hosts are 10/3 to win with William Hill and the draw can be backed at 5/2 with bet365.
Recent head to heads
The sides met twice in Euro 2012 qualifiers and the Irish triumphed twice including a 1-0 win in Yerevan.
Here's the highlights from Armenia's recent humbling in Norway below.
Players to watch
Wigan Athletic striker Will Keane has enjoyed an excellent season in English League One and rattled in 27 goals this season for club and country. He is 23/10 to score anytime with 10Bet.
Tigran Barseghyan plays for Slovan Bratisalava and has netted four goals in seven league starts for the Slovakian side. He is 4/1 to score with bet365 on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The two countries appear to be heading in opposite directions, with Ireland slowly showing signs of improvement and Armenia regressing.
By far their most creative player was former Manchester United and Arsenal playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the Roma star has now retired from international football.
Ireland aren't the most trustworthy, but they are worth a punt at evens against a side whose confidence must be shot to pieces after a nine-goal rout and being on an awful run.
Despite that romp, it's unlikely to be a hefty win if Ireland do triumph. They needed a last minute goal to beat Lithuania at home and the 11/4 on offer from Paddy Power on an away win and under 2.5 goals could have some value.
This UEFA Nations League match between Armenia and Ireland will be played on Jun 4, 2022 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Armenia vs Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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