THE Republic of Ireland took plenty of plaudits at Hampden but ended up without any points and head into their final Nations League clash with Armenia in danger of finishing bottom of the pile.
Losing to the Armenians in Yerevan effectively ruined Irish hopes of topping Group B1 after just 90 minutes and that was all but confirmed when they followed it up with a 1-0 home loss to Ukraine.
But the response was impressive from Stephen Kenny's men with a rousing 3-0 Dublin win over Scotland followed by a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in neutral Poland.
Ireland then took the lead at Hampden in midweek and more than matched Steve Clarke's side before a controversial late penalty condemned them to a 2-1 defeat as two of my main bets landed.
The defeat left them just a point above Armenia at the bottom of the table so the Irish need to avoid defeat in this game to dodge Nations League relegation.
But the Republic should have too much firepower for Joaquin Caparros' men after the Armenians were battered 5-0 at home by a second-string Ukraine side at the weekend.
How the bookies view it
It's not great surprise to see the Republic of Ireland as heavy favourites and their best price is just 4/11 at Unibet. Armenia are as big as 11/1 with SBK while the same firm price the draw at 4/1.
Head to head
These nations have only faced off three times before, with that shock 1-0 win for Armenia earlier in the group making up for two defeats to the Irish in the other encounters. The only Dublin meeting ended in a 2-1 victory for the Republic in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Players to watch
Chiedozie Ogbene was a big threat off the bench for Ireland at Hampden and might get the nod here as Kenny looks to freshen things up. The Rotherham striker is 21/10 with Bet365 for a goal and that looks decent value.
Tigran Barseghyan should start up top for Armenia and the Slovan Bratislava striker is a best 61/10 with VBet for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
I watched Armenia's clash with Ukraine on Saturday and they had plenty of the ball but offered little punch in attack. Since beating Ireland they have scored just once in four games so the home win to nil appeals here at 9/10 with BetVictor. Backing the Republic to be winning at half-time and full-time offers a bit more value at 21/20 with Bet365.
Two players were sent off when Armenia last came to Dublin and the minnows also had a couple of players red-carded when they lost 4-1 at home to Scotland. Stopper Hovhannes Hambardzumyan is 7/4 with Bet365 for a card here and that looks a decent option.
The Republic of Ireland won 6-2 on the corner count in Yerevan and should have most of the pressure back in Dublin. Backing the Irish at -4 in the handicap pays 13/10 here at Bet365 while over nine match corners is 6/5.
This UEFA Europa League match between Republic of Ireland and Armenia will be played on Sep 27, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Republic of Ireland vs Armenia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
