SECURING a place at Euro 2024 always looked like a tall order for the Republic of Ireland after being drawn in a Group of Death and they head into this Dublin clash with Greece with nothing but pride to play for.
But it's a different story for the Greeks and they will be desperate for three points as they bid to pip the Netherlands to second spot behind runaway leaders France.
This round of fixtures looks like being pivotal in how Group B pans out as the Dutch host France on the same night Greece travel to Dublin.
Gus Poyet's side sit level on points with the Netherlands as things stand but have played a game more so they can't afford to drop any points against the Irish.
Athens will be rocking on Monday when the Dutch come calling but Greece will be left needing snookers to qualify if they fail to see off Stephen Kenny's men at the Aviva Stadium.
The Republic of Ireland's only victory so far has come against minnows Gibraltar, in a match where all my tips landed, and pressure is on Kenny after another hugely underwhelming campaign.
But the Irish only lost 2-1 in Athens so the Republic gaffer will be looking to win over some of the doubters by getting their revenge back on home soil.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Greece as big as 7/3 with VBet as they need the points to qualify while the Republic of Ireland have little to play for. The best price for Kenny's side is 6/4 at BetVictor while the draw pays 15/8 at Paddy Power.
Head to head
The Greeks are unbeaten in their four meetings with the Republic of Ireland and have won three of those matches. Both visits to Dublin have ended in 1-0 friendly victories for the Greece, the last coming in 2012.
Players to watch
It was a big blow to Kenny when Brighton wonderkid Evan Ferguson missed the last round of international games due to an injury. But the striker is back in the squad again and will add a much-needed injection of quality to the Irish attack. He's 13/5 at Paddy Power for a goal which looks overpriced if he gets some decent service.
Georgios Masouras has been a key player in Euro qualifying for Greece, netting four times. The Olympiakos star also netted last week in the Europa League against Backa Topola and is 39/10 at VBet for another strike in Dublin.
Anything else catch the eye?
The Republic of Ireland certainly weren't disgraced when France and the Netherlands came calling, losing by one-goal margin each time, and I'm expecting another tight game here. Backing either side to win by a one-goal margin pays 23/20 at McBookie while the half-time draw is 10/11 at 888Sport.
The reverse fixture in Athens was pretty fiery with the ref dishing out five yellows and one red to Ireland's Matt Doherty. Going for cards could pay off here but I can only see prices for individual players going in the referee's book. Josh Cullen looks good at 11/4 (Bet365) as the Burnley midfielder has already collected four yellows this season. Greek skipper Tasos Bakasetas was one of those booked in that win over the Irish and he's 10/3 at Bet365 for a Dublin repeat.
We saw 15 corners when these teams faced off in Athens so that makes the 5/4 on offer at Bet365 for over 10 corners in the return fixture look pretty appealing.
This Euro 2024 match between Republic of Ireland and Greece will be played on Oct 13, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Republic of Ireland vs Greece prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
