Each day our exclusive MATCH OF THE DAQ service previews the big match of the day – usually a televised game.

As well as the preview we also bring you the head to head records of the two teams as well as a recommended bet on BETDAQ for the match.


Spain v Republic Of Ireland
European Championships
K.O 19.45, ITV 1

HEAD-TO-HEAD

(Max last 10 only)
16 Jun 2002 World Cup Spain 1 Ireland 1 (aet. 3-2 PSO)
13 Oct 1993 World Cup Qualifying Ireland 1 Spain 3
18 Nov 1992 World Cup Qualifying Spain 0 Ireland 0
26 Mar 1989 World Cup Qualifying Ireland 1 Spain 0
16 Nov 1988 World Cup Qualifying Spain 2 Ireland 0
26 May 1985 Friendly Ireland 0 Spain 0
27 April 1983 European Championship Qualifying Spain 2 Ireland 0
17 Nov 1982 European Championship Qualifying Ireland 3 Spain 3
09 Feb 1977 Friendly Ireland 0 Spain 1
07 Dec 1966 European Championship Qualifying Spain 0 Ireland 0

PREVIEW
Spain’s bid to make footballing history by winning three major tournaments on the bounce started in pretty uninspiring fashion on the weekend as they were forced to fight for a 1-1 draw against the Italians in the Group C opener.

Despite supposedly having an embarrassment of riches in the shape of forwards like Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and Fernando Llorente, manager Vincente Del Bosque effectively played a 4-6 formation with no recognised striker on the pitch. That may have explained Spain’s lack of a cutting edge in the final third and for a team as well-touted as the Spanish it was a flat performance.

Since Giovanni Trapattoni took over Ireland the veteran coach has transformed them into a disciplined, defence-minded team so it was disappointing to see their 14-match unbeaten run end with a 3-1 beating at the hands of Croatia on Sunday. In fairness all three of those goals certainly went against the ‘Luck of the Irish’ logic but aside from Sean St Leger’s header and a good penalty shout they offered little in an attacking sense and were essentially outclassed by the Croats.

Spain’s recent record against the Irish is perhaps not as dominant as one might expect and we can be assured Ireland will rally all the way to the final whistle. In recent tournaments Spain have taken a couple of games to hit full stride so it wasn’t the biggest surprise to see them under-perform against Italy. With improvement surely on the cards expect the holders to simply have too much for the gallant Irish side and win with a bit in hand.

RECOMMENDATION: (1-10 points)

Back Spain with -1.5 Asian handicap at around 1.96 on BETDAQ: 6 points

Wednesday: +7.74 points

JUNE RETURN TO DATE: +45.90 points


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