The international break kicks into action on Thursday night with some cracking UEFA Nations League playoff matches involving the Republic of Ireland and Scotland on the road in Bulgaria and Greece respectively.
Heimir Halgrimsson is looking for a strong result out in Plovdiv, following a mixed start to life as leader of the Boys In Green, with Steve Clarke aiming to build on a positive end to 2024.
Ahead of the game PP ambassador Joe Cole joined us to discuss how it could all go down for both sides.
Thursday’s Nations League tips
7:45pm – Bulgaria v Ireland
1-1
Evan Ferguson to score
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 18/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
7:45pm – Greece v Scotland
Greece to win
Vangelis Pavlidis to score or assist
Scott Mc Tominay to score or assist
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 14/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Bulgaria v Ireland
Nations League match at the Hristo Botev Stadium, Plovdiv
TV: RTE2, 7:45pm
Having the first leg away is a positive and this game comes on the back of Paddy’s Day – so the fans should be in a chipper mood! Both of these nations have fallen way below what they have done in previous years and I think the FA in both countries need to take a real look at themselves.
I speak to people on the Bulgarian side of it, I won’t name names, but you hear a lot about power struggles and infighting. Ultimately these are two great footballing nations who need to have good teams.
You think back to the Bulgaria team of the 90s, with Stoichkov and Letchkov and it’s been a slow decline from there. The same is there with Ireland, when you think back to Roy and Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, they’ve just not hit the heights since then
I look at the Irish team now and there are some useful players starting to come through, and I think there is a glint of light there. Going back to the performances against England in 2024, the new manager wants to play a certain way , use that traditional underdog card and then add quality through these new young players.
So, with all that in mind, I’m going for a 1-1 draw here.
I fancy Evan Ferguson to score, now that he’s back in the squad. I think Graham Potter has been smart with him so far at West Ham, by bringing him in slowly. He looks fitter, when I was stood next to him the other day, we just hope he can become the player we all think he can be.
Greece v Scotland
Nations League match at the Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
TV: BBC1 Scotland / BBC iPlayer, 7:45pm
It’s a lovely time of year to be heading off to Greece, let’s hope the Scots have packed their sunscreen!
I watched England against Greece at Wembley last year and I was so impressed with them. In particular, I like the look of Vangelis Pavlidis, the striker from Benfica, he gave England the run around that night. He was relentless and if you look at him this season, he scored a hat trick against Barcelona in the Champions League, he’s a player who has really come of age at the back end of his career.
I think this will bee a really tough game for Scotland, England went there and won, but it wasn’t easy in the Lee Carsley era. So I’m going for a Greece win and Pavlidis to score or assist.
He does like to drop into pockets, and get runners beyond him, so he should really impact the game.
From Scotland’s perspective, I think whenever Scott Mc Tominay pulls on a Scotland shirt, he looks like a good option for a goal or an assist bombing forward from that No.8 position.
Thursday’s Nations League betting tips
7:45pm – Bulgaria v Ireland
1-1
Evan Ferguson to score
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 18/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
7:45pm – Greece v Scotland
Greece to win
Vangelis Pavlidis to score or assist
Scott Mc Tominay to score or assist
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 14/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*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.
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