Prediction: Republic of Ireland vs Slovakia

1st September 2011

Republic of Ireland reclaimed the top spot in Group B with a double win over FYR Macedonia, but Giovanni Trapattoni’s men have got to win this game as well if they want to stay within a shot of reaching the final tournament. The narrow wins over weak Andorra proved that Slovakia are far from the desired form, meaning they will have to improve in order to get something from Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Before Italy legend Giovanni Trapattoni agreed to take over the reigns of the national team, Republic of Ireland had largely struggled to come even close to reaching a major tournament, so there is no doubt that the Italian manager has brought a lot of improvement. It looks as though the unlucky defeat to France in the 2010 World Cup play-offs only made the Irish more determined to qualify for the Euro 2012, with the team showing some very good displays to climb to the top of the standings. After winning the Nations Cup, Republic of Ireland continued the rich vein of form by beating FYR Macedonia as well as Italy away, before playing out a goalless draw against Croatia, with all these results proving that the team have really closed the gap behind top European sides. The players are now brimming with confidence before the Slovakia game and there are no doubts that home field advantage will play a major part. With Aiden McGeady and John O’Shea returning from injury, Ireland look more than capable of winning this game.

Slovakia had done well to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but they failed to live up to the expectations at the final tournament, while they have also experienced big problems during the current qualifying campaign. Slovakia enjoyed a very good start to the Euro 2012 qualifiers, having beaten FYR Macedonia and Russia, but they could only take one point from their next two games against Armenia and Republic of Ireland. The narrow wins over minnows Andorra showed that the team are far from the desired form, so Vladimir Weiss’ men hardly enter this crucial game in the best possible spirits. The gaffer faces severe selection problems as his key players Martin Skrtel, Marek Hamisk and Robert Vittek are far away from top form due to either recent injury or lack of playing time, which could be a big problem against very fit and motivated Ireland side. Vladimir Weiss is expected to adopt a defence-minded approach, but that could come back to haunt him.

Conclusion

Republic of Ireland have been in impressive form of late and with a couple of key players back to the side, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men look like a good bet here. Slovakia are clearly far from the desired form and when we also take into account the fact that their three key players have played just two competitive games between them this season, the visitors look destined for defeat.

Verdict: Home win Republic of Ireland (1)

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: William Hill