Greece v Northern Ireland
27 September 1945hrs
Football – Europe – Nations League
Pick Greece AH-0.25
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 1.68 odds taken 0634 GMT, Monday 26th September
Tuesday evening brings us further action from the Nations League and features this upcoming clash in League C/Group 2 between group leaders Greece and their 3rd placed visitors, Northern Ireland, at the Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis in Athens with Greece having already achieved promotion up to League B while Northern Ireland are battling it out with Kosovo and Cyprus to avoid the dreaded relegation play-off.
Table of Contents
Greece Preview – Can Greece round off successful campaign with a win?
Greece have been heads and shoulders above the rest of Group 2 as the hosts are currently enjoying top spot in the group and indeed, they have already secured promotion up to League B for the next Nations League campaign as they also hold an unassailable six-point lead over 2nd placed Kosovo with just one group game remaining.
Success for Greece has been a long time coming and although they were dealt a surprise 1-0 loss away from home at Cyprus last time out, the hosts now return to home shores for this upcoming clash with Northern Ireland looking to end this successful campaign on a high note and setting the record straight after that defeat.
Greece had previously posted an impressive four wins on the trot in Group 2 as the hosts came out of the blocks in devastating fashion, picking up wins against Northern Ireland, Cyprus and home and away victories over Kosovo, to not only claim top spot in the group, but also secure promotion with a game to spare.
Results overall in the Nations League have seen a revival in Greek fortunes of late as the hosts have lost just one of their previous 11 games overall in this competition, which includes seven wins and keeping a staggering total of nine clean sheets in the process, so they look to be in good shape to rebound with a win here on Tuesday night.
Greece coach, Gus Poyet, will be boosted by the return of Petros Mantalos and Georgios Giakoumakis to the Greek squad after serving one-match suspensions which saw them miss the clash with Cyprus.
Northern Ireland Preview – Can Irish eyes smile on final matchday?
Northern Ireland kept their hopes of avoiding relegation from League C/Group 2 alive with a last-gasp 2-1 home win over Kosovo at Windsor Park last time out which not only handed the Irish with a crucial three points but also became Northern Ireland’s first ever win in the Nations League competition.
However, the visitors still remain in a three-way battle to avoid the relegation play-off place at the bottom of the group with just one point separating Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Cyprus prior to this final match day in the group which promises to hold plenty of twists and turns in the bid for survival.
Northern Ireland had earlier struggled to get going in this season’s Nations League campaign as the visitors failed to win any of their preceding four games in the group, picking up just two points out of the possible 12 on offer, thanks to 0-0 and 2-2 draws home and away with Cyprus, but with two defeats as well, Northern Ireland still find themselves battling against possible relegation.
Despite that recent wins against Kosovo, it’s still just one win from their previous 15 games in this competition overall which includes no fewer than 10 defeats within this period, while on the road, the visitors have failed to win any of their previous seven outings on their travels and have been handed five defeats in the process, so hopes are not particularly high ahead of this upcoming trip to Athens for Tuesday night.
Northern Ireland manager, Ian Baraclough, will still be without Stuart Dallas due to a knee injury but he may opt to stick with the same starting eleven which produced the 2-1 win against Kosovo in their previous game.
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Greece v Northern Ireland
Key Facts – Greece v Northern Ireland Tip
- Greece have lost just 1 of their previous 11 games overall in the Nations League
- Northern Ireland have won just 1 of their last 15 matches in the Nations League
- Greece recorded a 1-0 win away from home in the last meeting v N Ireland
Greece will be keen to set the record straight on home soil in this final matchday in Group 2 and having lost just once in their previous eight home games in this format, including five wins and keeping seven clean sheets as well, the hosts look to be too strong for Northern Ireland in this clash as the hosts seek a bounce back win to seal a successful campaign.
The best betting odds for Greece v Northern Ireland
Greece to win: 2.00 at bet365
Draw: 3.25 at bet365
N Ireland to win: 4.00 at bet365
