Attritional Ireland to battle hard with the Swiss

A massive encounter in Group D lies ahead on Thursday, as current leaders Republic of Ireland take on Switzerland who are in need of a result having thrown away a three-goal lead in their last qualifier against Denmark. Dour and dogged could describe the Irish under Mick McCarthy who do not tend to produce great spectacles for the neutral setting up to be hard to beat in a rigid 4-4-2 formation only managing to beat whipping boys Gibraltar by two goals to nil in their last outing. Inaugural UEFA Nations League semi-finalists Switzerland are slight favourites for this clash with more quality over the pitch however Ireland is a tough place to go for anyone and they will have to play very well to breakthrough the defensive partnership of the experienced Richard Keogh and Shane Duffy.

Recent statistics

Ireland are unbeaten in their last six internationals with a clean sheet in four of their last five, bringing under 2.5 goals on all of those occasions. The Swiss are now established regulars at major tournaments and have won eight of their last 10 Euro qualifiers. The hosts have conceded one or less goals in 25 of their last 28 home games and interestingly nine of their last 16 victories have been by a 1-0 scoreline.

Switzerland’s strengths

Vladimir Petkovic’s men beat Belgium 5-2 to claim their spot at the Nations League Finals in November and on their day can cause anyone problems. With stars dotted all over the pitch they have the tools to put Ireland to the sword. With the armband will be newly appointed Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka, the former Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder has an expansive range of passing and will hold the key in winning the ball back with his tenacious and aggressive tackles and distributing it to the more creative players in the side like Xherdan Shaqiri and Hoffenheim’s Steven Zuber.

Should McCarthy’s troops not be prepared for Shaqiri he could run riot, with an excellent record for his country the Liverpool fringe player will embrace the minutes on the pitch that are few and far between at Anfield. He has 22 goals from his 80 caps and with Switzerland sitting in third place in the group will be hungry to get a positive result and ensure qualification without too much stress for this summer’s European Championships.

Switzerland will have the majority of possession and may grind out a win against a well drilled Irish team however it will be tight, I would not expect many goals in this one.

Republic of Ireland – Switzerland Betting Tip

Double Chance Switzerland to Win or Draw + No Both Teams to Score with BetVictor at odds of 113/100.

Bet Double Chance Switzerland to Win or Draw + No Both Teams to Score on