THE World Cup qualifying campaign has been a bit of a disaster for Stephen Kenny's Ireland but there is finally some grounds for optimism as Group A comes to a conclusion in Luxembourg.
The road to Qatar pretty much reached a dead end when the Republic followed up an opening loss in Serbia by crashing to a shock 1-0 defeat against Luxembourg in Dublin (below).
And some serious questions were being asked of manager Kenny after he went 12 competitive games without a victory after taking over from Mick McCarthy.
But the former Dunfermline boss finally got the monkey off his back with a 3-0 victory in Azerbaijan and his side have now gone five games without defeat after a battling 0-0 draw with Portugal in midweek.
I thought the Irish were worth a punt in the handicap market that night and Kenny's boys duly frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.
That point means they can jump above Luxembourg and finish third in the group with a win here but it won't be easy. That shock Dublin win proved the minnows are no longer whipping boys, a fact underlined by Luxembourg's 3-1 win in Azerbaijan in midweek.
How the bookies view it
Ireland's revival makes them 6/5 favourites with SBK while Luxembourg look a little overpriced at 29/10 with the same firm. Don't rule out the draw which pays 9/4.
Team news
Kenny has pretty much a full squad to pick from with just striker James Collins out injured. Luxembourg will be without the suspended Dirk Carlson in defence.
Players to watch
Sebastian Thill has been tearing up the Champions League with Sheriff Tiraspol, netting at the Bernabeu and San Siro. He also scored against Azerbaijan in midweek and is 27/5 with Unibet for a goal against the Irish.
Rotherham's Chiedozie Ogbene has caught the eye for Ireland in recent games and brings a freshness to the team. He's 15/4 with Unibet to follow up the goal he scored in Azerbaijan.
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals have been at a premium for both these sides, with Ireland and Luxembourg netting just eight times from their seven qualifiers. A single goal was enough to settle the Dublin meeting so under 2.5 goals should come up here, although the odds are poor at a best 10/17 with SBK. Betting against BTTS is a bit better at 5/6 with BetVictor.
There's not a great deal between these sides so the half-time draw also appeals at evens with Bet365 while a one-goal winning margin for either side pays 5/4 with McBookie.
This World Cup match between Luxembourg and Republic of Ireland will be played on Nov 14, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Luxembourg vs Republic of Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
