England vs Republic of Ireland Predictions

• Under 2.5 goals were scored in 18 of Ireland’s last 19 competitive matches.
• England and Ireland drew four of their last five encounters.
• Under 2.5 goals were scored in each of the last seven meetings between these teams.
• Under 2.5 goals were scored in three of England’s last five games.

English eyes on competitive fixtures

In a rapid-fire fixture international break, England’s friendly match with the Republic of Ireland on Thursday promises to be a low-key contest between two teams keen to save energy for more important games next week.

For Gareth Southgate, avoiding injuries and keeping his top stars fresh will rank among his priorities on Thursday, and a huge amount of squad rotation is expected as a result.

A number of in-form Premier League stars including Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin will hope to feature and impress, but with maintaining fitness the priority, few players are expected to stretch themselves too much.

Ireland eyeing confidence builder

With zero victories and just a single goal scored from his first five games in charge, new Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has had to endure a difficult start to his tenure with the Republic.

While some of Ireland’s early football under Kenny has been easy on the eye, the Boys in Green continue to look woefully short of quality the business end of the pitch, and David McGoldrick’s decision to retire from the international game this week has left the Irish even shorter on options in the final third.

Little action anticipated at Wembley

With crucial Nations League fixtures fast approaching, we expect both England and Ireland to play with the brakes on in Thursday’s clash in the capital, and little in the way of excitement is expected.

While their lack of thrust in attacking areas remains a major problem for Ireland, the Republic are notoriously tough to open up at the other end, and a combination of those factors has led to plenty of low-scoring, attritional fixtures involving the Boys in Green,

Remarkably, under 2.5 goals were scored in 18 of their last 19 competitive matches, and with few incentives to push for victory this week, we expect Ireland to play deep and compact again at Wembley.

England – who saw under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last five assignments – drew four of their last five encounters with Ireland, the most recent of which was a dour 0-0 friendly draw at Wembley in 2015.

The factors suggest that the near neighbours’ latest skirmish on Thursday has all the makings of a similarly tepid tussle, and with both teams likely to treat the game as a one-paced training exercise, the under 2.5 goal market appeals, while another drab 0-0 draw is favoured for our correct score prediction.