Rep of Ireland v Estonia betting

Goals from Keith Andrews, Jon Walters and two from Robbie Keane helped Ireland to a huge first leg victory in Tallinn. Estonia clearly felt the pressure in their first ever playoff match. With two players being red carded and conceding four goals in the home leg, there would appear to be little, if any chance to turn it around. Football is full of surprises, but surely Ireland have done enough to seal their place in Ukraine and Poland.

Rep. of Ireland

Ireland’s sturdy defence managed to withhold early Estonian pressure. This helped the Irish keep yet another away clean sheet, their fifth of the qualifying campaign. Their defensive record at home wasn’t as strong as their away trips, having only kept one clean sheet (against Slovakia). This included conceding against lesser countries Andorra, Armenia and Macedonia.

Ireland have been strong in front of goal in Dublin this year. Their team is full of goals, which was shown to the full in the first leg.

A party atmosphere is widely expected at the Aviva Stadium when the second leg is played. With the home side already having a huge lead, the result on the night may not necessarily be a victory. However, Giovanni Trapattoni will make sure the Irish will not throw away their huge lead.

Estonia

Estonia are going to have to go all guns blazing if they are to have any hope to qualify for the finals. Four away goals is a tough achievement, especially against a side managed by an Italian.

In all of their group games, Estonia didn’t achieve more than three goals away from home. Their away form saw them gain an impressive 3-1 victory away in Serbia, with other wins away from home coming in Northern Ireland and Slovenia. However, they suffered an embarrassing defeat against Faroe Islands showing their inconsistency during the qualifying.

The last time Estonia won a game by more than four goals was back in 2004, in a game against Luxembourg, a team much lower ranked than the Republic of Ireland.

Match Prediction: Ireland to win

Ireland will go into the game playing under a party atmosphere. Robbie Keane is in good form and is a good bet to score in the game. Estonia’s last 4-0 victory came in 2004 and the chances on them repeating it again are slim. Therefore, Ireland will be fully expectant to get through the 90 minutes and qualify for their first tournament since the World Cup in 2002.

Article by Nick Whittaker