MATCH OF THE DAQ previews England v Republic of Ireland (International Friendly, K.O 20.00, ITV 1)
A friendly in all but name considering the turbulent history between the two countries, England versus Ireland tonight at Wembley should be a competitive affair.
England v Republic of Ireland
International Friendly
K.O 20.00, ITV 1
HEAD TO HEAD
(Max last 10 only)
27 Mar 1991 Friendly, England 1 – 1 Ireland
14 Nov 1990 Friendly, Ireland 1 – 1 England
11 Jun 1990 World Cup, (Neutral) England 1 – 1 Ireland
12 Jun 1988 European Championships, (Neutral) England 0 – 1 Ireland
26 Mar 1985 Friendly, England 2 – 1 Ireland
06 Feb 1980 Friendly, England 2 – 0 Ireland
25 Oct 1978 Friendly, Ireland1 – 1 England
08 Sep 1976 Friendly, England 1 – 1 Ireland
24 May 1964 Friendly, Ireland 1 – 3 England
19 May 1957 Friendly, Ireland 1 – 1 England
PREVIEW
A friendly in all but name considering the turbulent history between the two countries, England versus Ireland tonight at Wembley should be a competitive affair with the teams meeting for the first time since the disastrous fixture at Lansdowne Road in 1995 was abandoned midway through the first half because of fans rioting.
Authorities will be out to ensure both sets of fans behave, but the intense rivalry should make for an exciting encounter as Roy Hodgson looks to extend his solid record as English boss and Giovanni Trappatoni looks to improve a marvelous record on the road with his Irish side.
Ireland may have failed to score in five of their last seven international away games, but the Boys in Green have lost only one of their last nine international friendlies, winning four. And Trapattoni has overseen just two Irish defeats in 22 international away fixtures (W9 D11), with the two losses coming against European powerhouses Spain and Italy.
Only three of the 13 matches between these teams has seen over 2.5 goals and the last three have all been 1-1 draws so a tight game is again likely. England have only just one of 15 games in normal time under Hodgson but they have rarely been impressive and their World Cup qualifying campaign has seen them only beat San Marino and Moldova.
They’ve drawn against Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine all 1-1 and Ireland are of a similar standard to those sides. With the Irish team built on a solid defence and a disciplined approach, they may well frustrate England.
The Three Lions look too short at around 1.51 on BETDAQ, and the draw looks a better bet at around 4.4 on BETDAQ.
RECOMMENDATION: (1-10 points)
Back the draw at around 4.5 on BETDAQ: 4 points
Tuesday: -4.00 points
MAY RETURN TO DATE: +3.59 points
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