THE ROAD TO France 2016 is upon us and the Republic of Ireland will look to reach back-to-back European Championships as they kick off their campaign against Georgia on Sunday.
Martin O’Neill’s men have been drawn alongside Germany, Gibraltar, Poland and Scotland in Group D, so will be mildly confident of qualifying alongside World Cup winners Germany, who are huge favourites.
The Green Army played their first friendly since June on Wednesday, beating Oman 2-0 at the Aviva Stadium. Martin O’Neill was satisfied with the performance, which saw Ireland do what was necessary to win the match. With the result their first victory in six matches though, O’Neill will just be pleased to get back to winning ways ahead of this crucial match. Paddy Power price Ireland at 5/4 (2.25) to win.
Georgia will hope to cause an upset in Group D of the Euro qualification, having struggled to keep up with the pace four years ago. Temuri Ketsbaia’s men were drawn alongside Malta, Latvia, Israel, Croatia and Greece in that campaign, finishing second bottom with seven defeats from 10. Georgia haven’t played a match since June when losing to UAE 1-0. Paddy Power price them at 11/5 (3.20) to win, with the same firm pricing the draw at 21/10 (3.10).
These two sides met in a friendly last year, with Ireland running out 4-0 winners. O’Neill’s side have a fantastic record against Georgia, winning all five of the head-to-head meetings, including two World Cup Qualifiers and two Euro Qualifiers.
The price of 5/4 (2.25) for them to maintain that run and win this weekend seems like a fantastic price. Ireland have been strong away from home in the Euro Qualifiers in the past, winning four of their last six matches, staying unbeaten, including wins over Estonia, Macedonia and Armenia.
Their record would suggest the visitors don’t seem to struggle in tricky conditions, with those sides all tough to play away. With Georgia not having played since June as a team, expect Ireland’s preparation to pay off in this opening qualifying match.
