Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match.
The Irish are eager to make amends for their setback in the first round of the Nations League and delight their new head coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson, but they will face the pragmatic Greek side, who can give any opponent a hard time.
Ireland
In the match against their relentless neighbours, Ireland lost not only points but also their captain, Seamus Coleman, who injured his ankle in the second half. In the right centre-back position, Jack O’Brien, who replaced Coleman against England, or Matt Doherty, who could play as a right-back if they use a four-man backline, may step in. Most likely, the formation will remain the same, and Heimir Hallgrímsson will opt for the former. The loss wasn’t due to the captain's injury, but rather because England were clearly stronger and also needed to impress their new manager. The Irish side had almost no chances. The hosts couldn’t even take the ball from the comfortably leading English team (24% possession) and seriously threatened Jordan Pickford only once.
Greece
In the first round of the Nations League, Greece made the most of the opportunities they created, with some help from the Finns. They capitalised on the goalkeeper's mistake, forced an own goal, and scored from a corner. Forward Fotis Ioannidis scored twice and was naturally named man of the match. Greece had a decent 1.47 xG , with 45% possession and nine shots, five of which were on target. Facing Ireland away, they will likely adopt a counter-attacking strategy.
Ireland - Greece Prediction
These teams met in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, where Greece won both matches, scoring two goals each time. In fact, Greece have scored in six of their last seven matches, failing to do so only against Georgia, where their accuracy was close to zero. Ireland cannot boast such scoring prowess: they have only scored in two out of their last seven matches.
