It proved to be another bridge too far for the Republic of Ireland as they lost 2-0 to Group B leaders France in Paris during Euro 2024 qualification in midweek.
Such a result is understandable against one of the best national teams in football, but the manner of their defeat left a lot to be desired. Registering just six attempted shots and two on target during the match, the visitors struggled to create chances going forward, something that remains worrisome for their supporters.
This time around they'll welcome the Netherlands to Dublin in what can only be viewed as a must win clash for Ireland. With just three points to their name from four qualifying matches so far, they sit in fourth spot in the group and a six-point gap to second could open with defeat.
They'll have to be at their very best to contain Ronald Koeman's side though who will arrive at the Aviva Stadium in great spirits after beating Greece 3-0 on Thursday.
MORE: Who has qualified for Euro 2024? Teams, groups, who needs what to reach tournament in Germany
Ireland vs. Netherlands match facts
- Date: Sunday, September 10
- Kickoff time: 2:45 p.m. ET / 7:45 p.m. BST / 4:45 a.m. AEST (Mon. Sep 11)
- Location: Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland)
- Referee: Irfan Peljto
- Last meeting: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Netherlands (May. 27, 2016 | Friendly)
Ireland vs. Netherlands prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Netherlands (4/7)
- Score prediction: Ireland 0-2 Netherlands
So far during the 2023/24 season, betting expert Nathan Evans has predicted 82% of match outcomes correctly (with three exact scorelines), whilst he holds a 51% success rate across all betting selections.
| IRE | Draw | NET win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnSports (UK) | 17/4 | 31/10 | 4/7 | 4/5 - 20/21 | 4/5 - 20/21 |
Ireland vs. Netherlands best bet
- Pick: Both teams to score - NO
- Odds: 20/21 (BetOnSports)
If we're being honest, Ireland's attacking line during this international window looks pretty weak on paper.
After young Brighton star Evan Ferguson was forced to postpone his call up with injury, his international teammates very much struggled to make an impact against France on Thursday. That ultimately saw them fail to score, a feat we're expecting to see again here, even despite being in front of a home crowd this time around.
Ireland vs. Netherlands flier bet
- Pick: Xavi Simons to score anytime
- Odds: 9/4 (BetOnSports)
In fairness, there's not too much logic in this one in terms of being able to back up our selection of Xavi Simons to score anytime as he's only played five times for the Netherlands but we're doing it anyway!
Despite his lack of international appearances, he looked mightily impressive from the start against Greece in midweek and should get the nod to play on the right here by Koeman. Just before the break he struck a brilliant bending finish for new side RB Leipzig against Union Berlin which made it two goals in three Bundesliga outings for the rising star.
On top of that, he notched 22 times for PSV last season so we think that his international scoring breakthrough will come sooner rather than later and he's worth a punt at 9/4.
