Republic of Ireland v Wales betting preview and tips


David John fancies Wales to pull off a victory against the Republic of Ireland in their World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Recommended bets:


1pt Wales to beat Republic of Ireland at 23/10 - look a stronger team in confident mood and can cut the gap on their rivals

Republic of Ireland v Wales (1945 GMT, Sky Sports 1)


If Friday night’s game turns out to be as good as the build-up then it should make for fascinating viewing at the Aviva Stadium. 

Republic Of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane has been in sparkling form (as normal) with the media, confirming the hosts will not be happy to settle for a stalemate and protect their lead at the top of Group D while his views on how to cope with Gareth Bale hark back somewhat to his own days as a player.

In response, Wales manager Chris Coleman confirmed he won’t be listening to any of Keane’s ramblings, preferring to take heed of anything number one Martin O’Neill puts forward instead.

Spiky stuff indeed and the atmosphere in Dublin should be pretty electric as well.

Wales trail their hosts by four points while Serbia are currently sandwiched in between with only one team guaranteed a place in the finals.  

Eight of the nine best runner’s-up will then be cast into the maelstrom of a play-off so it is easy to see why this is such a pivotal fixture - the pair will meet again to round things off in early October.

Feelings will be running high too as Coleman returns to the city where his father was born – his ashes are scattered in the Liffey - while the tempestuous James McClean will be an emotional talisman for the home side following the sudden death this week of close friend and Derry City captain Ryan McBride at the age of just 27.

Both head coaches will be hoping neither side becomes too ramped up once they cross the whitewash but it is definitely an aspect of the game which can’t be ignored and McClean’s contribution fuelled by adrenalin will be interesting.

“If he plays on Friday like he trained today (Wednesday), I will be really happy,” Keane revealed with the West Brom winger set to wear Richard Keogh’s number five shirt as a mark of respect to McBride.       

It is easy to argue the case for McClean to deliver a telling performance with a goal, assist or even a Man of the Match display but the flipside is the situation could be all too much and manifests itself negatively with his career littered with examples where the red mist has descended.

Whichever way it goes, I can’t see him not being involved in game-changing incident somewhere along the line – good or bad.

Sticking on the theme of individuals, Bale is obviously the foundation around which the Welsh have built their phenomenal recent success that included a surprise run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

The one true world class talent on the field, he is still working his way back from ankle surgery that sidelined him for three months but got a full 90 minutes under his belt at the weekend as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao. 

A glowing report from his national manager too on a fact-finding trip to Spain last month suggests he is not far away from his best.

“He won’t be undercooked. He is ready,” Coleman said. “I watched him train in Madrid and he is a real specimen.”

You can understand then why Keane is so desperate to nullify his threat but I have come to the conclusion the Welsh team more than matches up here overall against their counterparts even on the road.

I just wonder whether the far greater expectations following last summer’s exploits has been weighing on their minds a little and contributed to slightly slower start to this qualification campaign than many might have expected.

However, they remain unbeaten to this point and the time looks right for them to start turning the experience gained from the Euros into victories with the obvious incentive of trimming the gap on the Republic at the top to a point while hopefully cutting Serbia off at the pass at the same time.

“We are feeling confident and have trained well all week,” said full-back Ben Davies.

 “We don’t want to say this is ‘must-win’ but we have been involved in a game of this magnitude before so we have that experience.”

I can’t entirely make my mind up how McClean is going to fare one way of the other so a bet on a familiar Wales line-up containing that bit of Bale magic seems the way to progress. 

The case is stronger considering the Republic are a little thin on the ground due to injuries and the lack of creative input with no Robbie Brady, Wes Hoolahan or even Harry Arter plus striking focal point Daryl Murphy leaves them rather vulnerable.

Prediction: Republic of Ireland 0-1 Wales  

Posted at 1620 GMT on 23/03/17.

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