The Nations League rolls into Dublin on Sunday night for the second leg of the Group B/C relegation play off between Ireland and Bulgaria.
Ireland are 2-1 up in the tie and were comfortable winners on Thursday night. They’ll be looking to put more distance in the aggregate scoreline at the Aviva, and our tipster Shane O’Brien has three value picks for Sunday night’s showdown.
Let’s get his Ireland v Bulgaria betting tips. COYBIG!
Ireland v Bulgaria betting tips
Ireland to have the most shots on target & Bulgaria to commit the most fouls
Ireland to have 2+ more headed shots on target
Over 5.5 cards
WHEN: Sunday, 23rd of March, 7.45pm
WHERE: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
TV: RTE 2, Prime Video
Ireland to have the most shots on target & Bulgaria to commit the most fouls
Ireland took a giant stride towards maintaining their place in League B of the Nations League with a 1-2 win in Bulgaria on Thursday night and will be confident of getting the job done in Dublin during Sunday’s second leg.
The Boys in Green responded well after falling behind to an early Marin Petkov strike and were well worth their win in what was ultimately a low-quality affair.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side shaded the attacking statistics on Thursday night, attempting 12 shots to Bulgaria’s seven, although both sides registered three shots on target apiece. That should change on Sunday when Ireland have the benefit of home advantage.
Bulgaria, meanwhile, conceded more than double the number of fouls as Ireland on Thursday, committing a whopping 21 fouls for an average of a foul every four minutes or so and dwarfing Ireland’s tally of 10 fouls.
The away side averaged 13.7 fouls per game in their six Nations League group games, again dwarfing Ireland’s average of 11.5 fouls per game, and it would not be a huge surprise in the slightest if they commit the most fouls in Dublin.
Ireland to have 2+ more headed shots on target
It does not take a football expert to work out where the majority of Ireland’s attacking threat comes from at present. Both of their goals on Thursday night came from headed efforts, with Finn Azaz and Matt Doherty both heading into an empty net during the come-from-behind win.
Headed efforts accounted for a staggering eight of their 12 shots on Thursday night and it would be no great surprise if they go the same route here. Ireland scored just three goals during their six-game Nations League campaign towards the end of last year, with two of those goals coming via headers and the third coming via a chance created from a cross.
The Irish may be as limited in an attacking sense as they have ever been, but their reputation as a team that is dangerous in the air has not changed significantly, and they should comfortably register two headers on target at the Aviva.
Over 5.5 cards
Thursday’s first leg was a stop-start affair that saw Ireland and Bulgaria rack up a huge 31 fouls between them, with the game stopping every three minutes because of a foul.
Bulgaria were responsible for most of those fouls, but it is notable that the sides shared the same number of cards, with both Ireland and Bulgaria receiving four bookings apiece on the night.
Both sides also picked up their fair share of cards in their respective Nations League groups, with Bulgaria receiving 20 cards in just six outings and Ireland receiving 11 in the same number of games.
That adds up to a combined average of just over five cards per game, but given that Sunday’s second leg will decide relegation and promotion for both nations, it is likelier to be that bit feistier and it is not unreasonable to expect at least six cards.
Ireland v Bulgaria betting tips
Ireland to have the most shots on target & Bulgaria to commit the most fouls
Ireland to have 2+ more headed shots on target
Over 5.5 cards
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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