Prediction: Republic of Ireland vs Georgia

Verdict: Ireland to win by one goal

Best Odds: 11/5

Bookmaker: bet365

Republic of Ireland had a bright start to the new qualifying campaign, holding Serbia to a 2-2 draw on the road, and they now hope to close the gap behind Austria and Wales by defeating Georgia. Jvarosnebi suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Austria a month ago, but they will be looking to take advantage of the opposition selection problems and avoid defeat in Dublin.

Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland reached European Championship finals for the second time in a row last summer, but they fared much better than four years ago, getting past the group stage before giving hosts France a run for their money in the Last 16 phase defeat. Following the promising showing in France, Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane remained at the helm, with the Irish recording a 4-0 triumph over Oman in their final warm-up game for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. The Boys in Green began the new campaign well, holding Serbia to a 2-2 draw in Belgrade, taking the lead through Shane Long before salvaging one point after the hosts had overturned the deficit. With games against minnows Georgia and Moldova coming up, Republic of Ireland have a good opportunity to seriously improve their position in the standings, especially as their rivals for the first place Austria and Wales are set to square off in Wien. The Irish have been hit with a number of injuries over the last week or so, but they should still have enough quality to record an important triumph.

Team News

Aiden McGeady, Anthony Pilkington, Kevin Doyle, Kieren Westwood, Daryl Murphy, Stephen Quinn and Marc Wilson are definitely out.

Harry Arter and Eunan O’Kane face fitness tests, whereas James McCarthy should be fit to play. Adam Rooney and Ian Lawlor were added to the squad.

Georgia

The national football team of Georgia have shown some promise over the last decade or so, recording an odd win or two, but they have yet to come close to qualifying to a major international tournament. Jvarosnebi recorded three victories in the previous campaign, defeating Scotland at home and beating Gibraltar twice, but the national team bosses nonetheless believed a change was needed and former Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss took over the reigns. Under his command, Georgia managed to beat Spain on the road and also shared spoils with Kazakhstan, while losing to Slovakia and Romania in international friendlies, but they could do little to avoid a home loss to Austria in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier. But, after defeating mighty Spain on the road, Jvarosnebi will be feeling confident ahead of the trip to Dublin, and it remains to be seen whether they can repeat the performance from their game against La Furia Roja. The visitors have some important missings as well, and they will not be at full strength in Dublin, with their poor form on the road in competitive matches another cause for concern.

Team News

The likes of Levan Kenia, Giorgi Chanturia, Nika Kvekveskiri, Jaba Kankava and Otar Martsvaladze all miss out, with Jano Ananidze and Vladimer Dvalishvili the men to watch in the away side.

Davit Khocholava, Valerian Gvilia and Lasha Parunashvili will all be hoping to earn their first caps for the senior national team.

Key Factors to Consider

• Republic of Ireland won each of seven meetings with Georgia
• Five of those wins were achieved by a single goal margin
• Georgia scored one goal in four away games vs the Irish
• Georgia lost 10 of last 11 away games in WC qualifiers
• Ireland lost one of last 15 home fixtures (W8 D6)

Conclusion

Republic of Ireland are definitely not in the best shape after so many withdrawals and they could struggle to break defence-minded Georgia. We expect to see a tight game where the hosts should eventually emerge victorious, but chances are they will not win by a big margin.

Verdict: Ireland to win by one goal

Best Odds: 11/5

Bookmaker: bet365