Republic of Ireland v England Betting Tips
- Declan Rice to be fouled
- Any goalkeeper to be fouled
- Evan Ferguson & Harry Kane 1+ shots on target, 3+ corners for each team & 1+ cards for each team
- Declan Rice to be fouled 4 or more times
A new era of English football begins as Lee Carsley (40 caps for Ireland) temporarily steps up from England u21’s boss to take charge of the senior men’s team. He replaces the departed Gareth Southgate after the former boss lost his second consecutive Euros final in June.
Carsley’s first squad as senior boss sees several players called up to make their debuts for their country, most of whom featured heavily in their u21 European Championship triumph in 2023. These include Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), and Angel Gomes (Lille).
Plus, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento features for the first time, replacing club teammate Kieran Trippier, who has retired from international duty.
Saturday’s game presents an excellent opportunity for Ireland, under new management with Heimir Hallgrímsson, to spoil their former player’s opening game. The Icelander has previous against the Three Lions as boss of his home nation, famously beating Roy Hodgson’s side 2-1 at Euro 2016.
Most odds are in favour of the visitors to the Emerald Isle, but you can never rule out the luck of the Irish when an opportunity to beat England arises. Here are our best bets for Saturday’s kick-off.
Declan Rice to be fouled
The last time Arsenal’s Declan Rice graced the hallowed turf of Aviva, he was part of an Ireland team that beat the USA 2-1.
Seamus Coleman was also part of the team that day. Matt Doherty and Alan Browne were both on the bench. The Irish fans won’t be giving Rice a warm welcome, we can be sure of that, but the Irish players, on the other hand, are likely going to want to get a little physical with Damo on his Dublin return.
Any goalkeeper to be fouled
Harry Kane is probably the dirtiest striker in world football. He consistently leaves his elbows trailing; he’s always leaving a leg hanging too, to try and try and force contact and nab a penalty. And, sure, he’s nearly as old as Methuselah now, so it’s not like he’s going to change his ways. It’s just part of his game.
We’re not complaining about it; he’s good at it, and he’s earned plenty of fouls, penalties, and Premier League/Bundesliga points that way over the years.
But a boisterous home crowd will be eager to get the referee on their side here, and anything Kane does (let’s also not forget Irish ancestry on his paternal side) that they deem unsporting will be shouted about.
At the other end of the pitch, we’ll have Jordan Pickford, who could well find himself on the wrong end of a challenge during an Irish set piece. Dara O’Shea, Nathan Collins, Callum O’Dowda, and Evan Ferguson are all big chaps and aren’t afraid of getting stuck in, so there’s a decent chance here we’ll see at least one foul on either ‘keeper.
Evan Ferguson & Harry Kane 1+ shots on target, 3+ corners for each team & 1+ cards for each team
The latest news suggests that Heimir Hallgrimsson will start Brighton’s Ferguson up front alongside Celtic’s Adam Idah. However, they have made only three appearances between them so far this season, all of them coming from Idah.
You might remember last season, before his injury, when the goals were flowing for Ferguson there were loads of cringy moments when English media types were fawning over him and trying to get him to switch his allegiances. He’s the type of player who’d gladly take the same injury again if it meant scoring against England. He’s going to be well-fired up for this.
Kane, well, he’s still a class striker and finds a way to get shots off from all over the pitch.
Can both teams get three corners, though? Well, Ireland have relied on set pieces since, well, since long before I was even born. With Chiedozie Ogbene and Robbie Brady operating on the wings they’ll be eager to get to the byline when the chances come, so three corners are surely gettable for the hosts.
England will almost definitely enjoy the majority of possession and should have three corners before halftime.
Cards then? Well, both Alan Browne and Jayson Molumby are serial offenders when it comes to getting their names taken and won’t be shy of bringing an Englishman down here, so you can expect either to have their name pencilled down over the 90. For England, all it takes is one slightly late challenge in midfield on an Irish break for a card to be produced, and with the speed of Brady and Ogbene that could certainly occur.
Declan Rice to be fouled 4 or more times
Yes, this is a long shot. But, let’s apply some logic.
Rice, on international duty, averages just shy of 2.0 tackles per game. Should they be 50/50s and were he to end up floored then we have two of our four fouls. Could he be fouled two more times?
As mentioned above, when you have the likes of Alan Browne and Jayson Molumby against you, you’re going to get a clatter at least once. Now, both probably won’t start; it’ll be one or the other, but Will Smallbone averages well above a foul per game as well. And, should Rice get forward, he’s going to be running into Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea, both of which will most assuredly go in hard with the shoulder.
As always, when the odds are this high, it’s unlikely but far, far stranger things have happened, and let’s be honest, all of Ireland wants to see it happen.
Ireland v England Tips
- Declan Rice to be fouled
- Any goalkeeper to be fouled
- Evan Ferguson & Harry Kane 1+ shots on target, 3+ corners for each team & 1+ cards for each team
- Declan Rice to be fouled 4 or more times
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
READ MORE
- Shoot on over to Paddy Power News for the best Football Betting Tips & News
- Ireland v England tips: Kane’s on target in our 23/1 Bet Builder
- Football Tips: Saturday’s 21/1 Nations League Multi-Match Bet Builder
- Football Accumulator Tips: Your 37/1 shot for Saturday’s EFL action
- Football Accumulator Tips: Saturday night’s 19/1 MLS Punt
- How does the UEFA Nations League work? Groups and dates for 2024/25 tournament
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
