Republic of Ireland vs England Predictions

• Both teams have scored in England’s last four games.
• England have conceded in five of their last six Nations League games.
• The Three Lions have conceded in nine of their last 12 games overall.

New eras for Ireland and England

Ireland entertain England in Dublin on Saturday as these two neighbours begin life under new managers.

Heimir Hallgrímsson is in charge of Ireland for the first time and the former dentist has enjoyed memorable success over England previously, as he was Iceland manager when they famously dumped the Three Lions out of Euro 2016.

England are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Gareth Southgate as former Under-21s boss Lee Carsley takes the reins on an interim basis – although he is a contender for the job on a full time basis if he impresses during his caretaker stint.

Both teams to score the pick

England are the clear favourites but at a short price there isn’t much appeal in backing them to win here. Ireland will be fired up for this game and they have a decent record against England with just one defeat in the last eight meetings (W1, D6).

The Three Lions may have reached the final at Euro 2024 but on the basis of their performances in Germany that was an overachievement, and there is an element of experimentation about this squad as Carsley has selected four uncapped players.

With so many variables, backing England at around 1/2 isn’t of much interest but the odds-against price on goals for both teams does catch the eye.

England have conceded in nine of their last 12 games, competitive and friendly, and both teams scored in all four of their Euro 2024 games. Ireland have been in a bit of a slump for a while but there have been a few signs of a revival over the course of the last few months and, with a new boss to impress, they should be fired up as they take on rivals England.

Spoils may be shared

A 2-2 draw is the correct score pick in what is a tough game to call. With both sides under the guidance of new managers and given the rivalry between the two nations this is one of those games where no result would be a huge shock, but going on recent results a draw would seem about right.

England clearly have a far stronger squad but with home advantage Ireland can’t be written off and they have managed some good results in Dublin in 2024, as John O’Shea guided the Irish to a draw with Belgium and a win over Hungary during his spell as interim boss, while four of England’s last six games have finished level after normal time. The hosts will feel they can get a result and both sides may accept a point in this Nations League B fixture.

Bowen a goal contender

Harry Kane is the obvious contender for an anytime goal here but Jarrod Bowen looks an interesting option at a bigger price.

He is yet to score for his country, but only a couple of his 10 appearances have been starts so if he is given a chance from the off here this could be the game where he makes a breakthrough.

Bowen has two goals in his last three games for West Ham and should be itching to make an impact after failing to play a single minute at Euro 2024.

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