Republic of Ireland vs Denmark Predictions

Republic of Ireland welcome the Danes to Aviva Stadium on Monday evening, as they look to clinch a top-two position. The same can be said for Denmark, who currently sit top of the group, though their position is by no means a strong one. They too are likely to need a result to secure their place in the coveted top two.

It’s been a typically low-key campaign for the Irish, who’ve been hard to beat throughout the qualification process, though a lack of forward penetration may just come back to bite them, as they come into this final match outside the top two.

On a positive note, Ireland’s best efforts have come on home soil, where they’re yet to taste defeat in Group D, winning two and drawing one of their three matches at Aviva Stadium. In front of a home crowd is where Ireland have been at their best at both ends of the pitch; they’ve kept teams at bay, restricted them to few chances and have conceded just one goal in over 270 minutes of football. They’ve also scored in each of their home games, notching a reasonable total of four goals.

Of those in this group, Denmark have been just about the best performers, especially from an attacking point of view. The Danes have scored more goals than any other Group D side, averaging an impressive 3.14 goals. However, most of their best attacking work has been done against overly weak sides such as Gibraltar and Georgia. In the reverse of this fixture, they were unable to force the issue, drawing 1-1 in Copenhagen.

Moreover, aside from a big win at non-competitive minnows Gibraltar, the Danes haven’t really impressed on the road. They did come back to draw against Switzerland, showing a reasonable amount going forward; but they defended poorly, while their overall efforts were underwhelming when they drew 0-0 against Georgia in their most recent away match. Such efforts don’t bode well ahead of Monday’s trip to Aviva Stadium.

In the betting, ‘Ireland Draw No Bet’ catches the eye. Denmark aren’t the easiest side to get the better of, but they’ve simply not done enough on the road to warrant favouritism, beating only Gibraltar. Similarly, Ireland, who’ve conceded just four shots on target at home in qualifying, are very tough to beat on their own patch, so much so they deserve more respect and should be shorter in the betting. On this basis, a punt on the sturdy hosts, with the insurance ‘Draw No Bet’ provides, offers some value.

‘Correct Score’ players are pointed in the direction of a 1-0 win for the Irish. With Ireland’s approach being a pragmatic one, the hosts, who’ve kept four clean sheets in seven qualifying matches, are backed to keep the Danes at bay. They can then pounce at the other end, which is exactly what they did when they beat the Georgians by a goal to nil at this venue earlier in the campaign.