Republic of Ireland vs England

England’s first UEFA Nations League B campaign kicks off at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium against neighbors Republic of Ireland.

Ireland’s new cycle under Icelandic head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who famously crashed England out of Euro 2016 in joint charge of his home country, starts in Dublin this week. After failing to qualify for the last four major international tournaments, the Boys in Green hope for a change of scenery under Hallgrimsson. However, his touchline debut brings England, a side Ireland have failed to beat in their last seven meetings, to the Irish capital. Encouragingly, as six of those seven clashes ended level (L1), there’s still hope that the former dentist could get his managerial tenure off to an unbeaten start. With most of Ireland’s wins across the past couple of years coming under continental minnows, such as Gibraltar and Malta, the home fans await this fixture with skepticism (W6, D2, L10).

Meanwhile, England suffered another grand final heartbreak over the summer, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 title-deciding contest. It was the end of the road for long-serving manager Gareth Southgate, who surrendered the reins immediately after the tournament. Lee Carsley has taken the interim charge of the Three Lions, looking to steer them back to League A after they infamously suffered relegation from the top tier in 2022/23. Underwhelming away form was the detriment of England’s dismal Nations League campaign in the previous edition, with back-to-back Euros runners-up netting just one goal across their last five away matches in the competition (D2, L3). However, a swift return to League A is on the cards, with England (#4) ranked at least 50 places higher than any other Group B/2 nation by FIFA.