Greece vs. Republic of Ireland: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Despite a good result last time out, it's hard to see Ireland pulling it out of the bag here. Greece look in impervious form and having kept three clean sheets in their last four, this will be a monumental task for Ireland.

Greece already recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland last month, and with these two having also been drawn in the same Euro 2024 qualifying group, they've faced off three times in the last year in a competitive setting, with Greece winning all three encounters: 2-0, 2-0 and 2-1.

It is, then, hard to see anything other than a win for Greece. Greece 2-0 Ireland.

Greece will take on Ireland this Sunday in Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League B. Both teams come into the match at vastly different points in their campaigns; Greece, sitting comfortably at the top of the group, are looking to secure promotion to League A, while Ireland, who have had a tougher time of late, are desperate to build momentum as they continue their rebuilding process under new management.

• Date: 13/10/2024
• Kick-off time: 19:45
• Location: Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens

Greece have been in imperious form in this year’s Nations League, topping Group 2 with a perfect record of nine points from their opening three matches. They have conceded only a single goal in the competition, which is a testament to the defensive solidity and discipline instilled by their Serbian manager, Ivan Jovanović, who has taken over from Gus Poyet, who departed after the team's failed Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

Greece's defensive prowess has been the cornerstone of their game model, allowing them to approach games with a counterattacking philosophy that is serving them well. This approach has clearly paid dividends thus far, with Greece now looking like strong candidates not only for promotion to League A but also as a team to potentially qualify for future international competitions.

Greece are looking rebuild off the back of a heartbreaking defeat Euro 2024 qualifying, where the Greek side suffered a gut-wrenching defeat in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, losing to Georgia in the playoff final. Georgia were reduced to ten men in the first half, but Greece were unable to capitalise on their advantage and eventually succumbed in a penalty shootout, ending their hopes of qualification for the tournament.

This loss was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Nations League has offered Greece a chance to get back on the right track. The 2026 World Cup will mark 12 years since Greece's last international tournament appearance, and that's not a length of absence they'll be comfortable with.

In contrast to Greece’s dominant campaign, Ireland have endured a more difficult run in the Nations League. With just three points from their opening three matches, the Irish side find themselves sitting in a precarious position. However, there is a sense of cautious optimism surrounding the team as they continue to rebuild under new manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.

Hallgrímsson, who previously led Iceland to a remarkable quarter-final appearance in the 2016 European Championship, is an experienced coach with a strong record in international football. His appointment was seen as a step in the right direction for an Ireland team that has been on a fairly consistent decline in the last few years. His tenure so far has been something of a mixed bag, with the team showing glimpses of promise but also suffering from the same inconsistencies and inadequacies that have plagued them in recent campaigns.

Ireland’s three points in the group came from a crucial win in their last match, a result that has provided a much-needed boost to morale. After a series of disappointing performances, this win could prove to be a turning point for the team, especially with a young crop of talented players coming through the ranks.

One of the key challenges for Hallgrímsson will be to integrate new, younger players into the squad while trying to maintain a sense of stability and ensure that results and performances progress in the right direction.

The Icelandic coach has a reputation for building disciplined, hard-working teams that are difficult to beat, and Ireland’s improved performance in Helsinki suggests that he is beginning to instil these qualities in his players. The team showed resilience and now needs to show a greater degree of organisation and coherency, and if they do then a result in Athens is firmly on the cards.

This game will be aired live to all viewers on the Viaplay International Youtube channel.

Greece Team News:

Greece are coming into this game without the services of centre-back Konstantinos Koulierakis, who is unavailable through suspension after picking up a booking at Wembley.

Panagiotis Retsos feels likely to deputise in the heart of the Greek defence, while Kostas Tsimikas remains a doubt.

Predicted lineup: Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Retsos, Giannoulis; Kourbelis, Siopis; Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis.

Ireland Team News:

Ireland will once again be without Callum O'Dowda, who missed the game against Finland through injury.

It's not expected that Ireland will make any changes to the side that started the game in Helsinki on Thursday night.

Predicted lineup: Kelleher; O'Shea, Collins, Scales, Brady; Cullen, Knight; Ogbene, Azaz, Szmodics; Ferguson.

Greece come into this game off the back of their best result in years: a 2-1 win over England at Wembley. In what was a deserved victory, Greece delivered a fine counterattacking display and should have won the game by quite a margin, spurning a number of fine opportunities to score.

Vangelis Pavlidis gave Greece the lead in the 49th minute and despite Jude Bellingham's equaliser in the 88th minute, Pavlidis took advantage of another piece of dreadful England defending to score a 94th-minute winner.

Prior to that, Greece beat Ireland 2-0, Finland 3-0 and Malta 2-0 after losing 2-1 to Germany.

Ireland's most recent result was a 2-1 win away in Finland. A huge blunder by Nathan Collins allowed Finland to take the lead in the 17th minute through Joel Pohjanpalo, but a header following a set piece from Liam Scales provided an equaliser in the second half.

In what was an even game, Ireland eventually produced the winner late on, with Robbie Brady providing a fine back post finish following some good work from Festy Ebosele on the right flank.

For Ireland, that game followed successive 2-0 losses at the hands of Greece and England, which followed a 3-0 loss to Portugal and a 2-1 win over Hungary.

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