Lee Carsley kicked off his England reign with a win over the Republic of Ireland and will now be looking to sign off with another victory over the Boys in Green at Wembley before he hands the reins to Thomas Tuchel.
The caretaker boss has done a decent job since Gareth Southgate stood down in the wake of Euro 2024, with a shock Wembley loss to Greece his only dropped points so far across the whole UEFA Nations League campaign.
Carsley got his revenge over the Greeks in Athens on Thursday with a 3-0 win that moved the Three Lions back to the summit in Group B2 and busted the coupon of our man Andy. Now England know a win over the Irish will return them to the top tier of the Nations League.
This campaign has also been transitional for the Republic of Ireland, with Heimir Hallgrimsson taking the reins from Stephen Kenny after a miserable attempt to qualify for Euro 2024.
A 2-0 debut loss to England in Dublin showed how much work the Icelandic coach had to do but there have been some signs off progress, with the Irish sitting on two wins after doing the double over Finland on Thursday.
Taking on England at Wembley is a big step up though and every Irish player will need to be on top form if they're to pull off a famous victory.
How the bookies view it: Three Lions rampant
It's no great surprise to see England as red-hot favourites for this one, with Betano pricing them at just 1/5. The Republic of Ireland are 12/1 outsiders and even the draw is pretty hefty at 9/2.
Head to head: Fighting Irish have landed a few blows
The Irish have traditionally been a tough nut to crack for England and the Boys in Green went six games unbeaten in this fixture between 1988 and 2015. But England ended that run with a 3-0 friendly win back in 2020 and followed it up with that Dublin triumph earlier in this Nations League group.
Players to watch: Harry as hungry as ever
England skipper Harry Kane was surprisingly left out in Greece on Thursday, despite speaking out about how much pride he took from pulling on an England shirt. I'd expect the Bayern Munich ace to start here and he's just 8/13 for anytime scorer at Betano but is better value at 13/5 to break the deadlock.
Evan Ferguson delivered when I tipped him to score against Finland but I'm changing tack here. Sammie Szmodics has been in decent form for Ipswich Town in the Premier League and will be out to become an Irish hero by scoring at Wembley. The former Blackburn ace is 11/2 with Betano for a strike at Wembley.
Probable line-ups
Both managers might consider freshening things up a little, with such a short turnaround between the last game on Thursday. Ezri Konsa went off injured against Greece and misses out, with Lewis Hall likely to start at left-back after replacing him.
Ireland will probably beef up their midfield a bit after fielding quite an attacking line-up against the Finns. Jason Molumby could replace winger Mikey Johnston to add more solidity.
England: Pickford, Lewis, Walker, Guehi, Hall, Jones, Gomes, Bowen, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.
Republic of Ireland: Kelleher, O'Dowda, Scales, Collins, Manning, Cullen, Knight, Molumby, Azaz, Szmodics, Ferguson.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ireland didn't test England's defence much in Dublin and they drew a blank in Athens too so an England win to nil looks likely here here, although the odds aren't great at just 8/11 with Bet365. Backing them to win both halves offers better odds at 31/20 with Betano.
The Irish picked up four yellows in their last clash with England and this fixture is usually pretty fiery. Backing a lot of booking points stands a chance but I've yet to see any markets for cards with the bookies.
With England set to dominate possession, I also fancy them to rack up a few corners. Over nine match corners looks good at 11/10 with Bet365 while backing England at -4 in the corner handicap pays 6/5 with the same firm.
This UEFA Nations League match between England and Republic of Ireland will be played on Nov 17, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best England vs Republic of Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
