Faroe Islands v Rep. Ireland: Minnows to suffer narrow Irish loss
Published:Republic of Ireland travel to the Faroe Islands on the back of a crushing 6-1 defeat at home to Germany, but are favoured to bounce back with victory at 2/7.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s side struggled to deal with the unerring finishing prowess of the Germans, but can be expected to get back on track in this fixture.
Their hosts, who have never qualified for a World Cup, are 17/2 to end a run of five consecutive defeats by winning for the second time in their last 15 matches.
That run of games has featured just one draw, against Northern Ireland two years ago, and punters thinking a stalemate could occur here can have 9/2 regarding that outcome.
Whilst the Faroe Islands have most regularly lost though, they have not been disgraced in their recent efforts, particularly during this qualifying campaign.
Indeed, they took the lead before eventually succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden, and could prove a profitable selection in handicap betting.
It is 10/11 that they achieve success starting with a two-goal head start, and that appeals in light of Ireland’s narrow 2-1 win away to fellow group minnows Kazakhstan.
That said, those looking to past meetings between the sides could take 3/1 odds about the tie when the home side begin with a two-goal advantage.
Ireland were 2-0 victors on their last visit to the Faroe Islands, and a repeat of that scoreline is available at 5/1 here.
However, it should be noted that the home side have managed to score in two of their last three outings on their own patch.
Therefore, both teams to score looks a tempting proposition at 6/4, whilst an Irish win in which either side finds the net deserves attention at 11/4.
Robbie Keane is expected to return from injury for the game, with the LA Galaxy forward 11/4 to extend his lead as Ireland’s all-time top scorer by firing the opener.
Keane can alternatively be backed to score in an Irish win, with the likelihood of that outcome appearing strong, hence the 4/6 odds about that scenario.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
