Liam Kelly previews the first ever meeting between Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan, expecting the home side to build on Wednesday's encouraging performance in Portugal.
Football betting tips: World Cup qualifiers
3pts Republic of Ireland to win at 13/20 (Bet365)
Republic of Ireland's World Cup dream could already be over following a 2-1 defeat in the Algarve on Wednesday, beaten in devastating fashion by two late goals from record-breaker Cristiano Ronaldo.
That result has made this game all the more important; a must win qualifier against another team stuck on zero points after three games.
Kick-off time: 17:00 BST, Saturday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
Republic of Ireland 8/13 | Draw 13/5 | Azerbaijan 19/4
Azerbaijan make the trip to Dublin on the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss to the much-improved Luxembourg, looking way off the pace before rallying slightly when two goals down.
The visiting team have won just one of their last 26 major tournament qualifiers away from home, making it easy to forecast a defensive style of play from Azerbaijan.
Admittedly, Stephen Kenny's side aren't exactly free-flowing, and are winless in their last 14 competitive matches, but Republic of Ireland are far superior to their opponents in terms of quality here.
Although we shouldn't expect a blowout win from a side that struggles to score goals, it's difficult to see how Kenny's men don't dominate this match-up after a promising performance in midweek.
As demoralising as it was, Wednesday's display against Portugal signalled improvement from a previously out of form team. If they perform in a similar fashion, even the short price available for REPUBLIC OF IRELAND TO WIN makes great appeal.
Azerbaijan should be treated as a minnow given their record in qualifiers, and the prospect of facing a squad stacked with Championship level or above footballers should prove too tough a task.
This represents an excellent opportunity for Republic of Ireland to get off the mark in front of home support at the Aviva Stadium.
Republic of Ireland v Azerbaijan best bets and score prediction
- 3pts Republic of Ireland to win at 13/20 (Bet365)
Score prediction: Republic of Ireland 2-0 Azerbaijan (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct at 1300 BST (02/09/21)
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