Greece vs Republic of Ireland

Greece and Republic of Ireland are set to trade tackles in a high-stakes 2024 European Championship qualifying encounter at OPAP Arena.

Greece’s quest to qualify for their first European Championship finals since 2012 has been off to a promising start as they thumped continental minnows Gibraltar 3-0 in the opening Group B game, making it two competitive wins in a row and six in the last seven (L1). Seeking a fourth consecutive win in Euro qualifiers for the first time since 2011, Gus Poyet’s men come into proceedings on the back of an outstanding home form, having lost just once in their last 16 home internationals (W9, D6). Adding to Greece’s confidence ahead of their first-ever competitive meeting with Ireland, they’ve been impressive across their three previous friendly encounters (W2, D1), keeping a clean sheet on each occasion.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland suffered a narrow 1-0 home defeat to section favorites France in their opening Euro qualifier, meaning none of their last six internationals have ended as a draw (W3, L3). Since each of those six results (wins/losses) separated sides by a single-goal margin, a tight, keenly-contested affair could be on the cards. Avoiding another defeat in Athens is imperative for Stephen Kenny’s side if they’re to boost their chances of qualifying for the Euro finals for the first time since 2016. However, since overcoming Georgia in 2014, the ‘Boys in Green’ have only managed one win in nine subsequent Euro qualifiers on foreign soil (D4, L4), beating whipping boys Gibraltar. Moreover, they head into this fixture amid the country’s joint-longest winless run in Euro qualifiers ever (D3, L3).