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Our Republic of Ireland vs Greece predicted lineups contain no shortage of men desperate to prove themselves, as their respective nations reflect on moments of joy that have long passed by.
Now approaching the 20th anniversary of their stunning Euro 2004 triumph against all odds, Greece will visit the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as they gear up to face the Republic of Ireland in the European Qualifiers on Friday night.
The former European kings know that a second win over the Irish – after their dominant display in Athens – puts them in a good position to have a potential shoot-out match with the Netherlands on Monday night in the Greek capital.
For their part, Ireland will look to keep any faint qualification hopes for the Euros in Germany this upcoming summer alive, knowing that nothing less than three wins in their final three fixtures can make this possible.
Republic of Ireland vs Greece Predicted Lineups
Contents
Team News: Republic of Ireland
Many Irish fans will be pleased to see Evan Ferguson return to the squad following his absence in Paris and Dublin against the French and Dutch. Other significant inclusions are Liam Scales, a player performing well currently at Celtic, and Sammie Szmodics, a player in fine goal-scoring form, brought in to replace Aaron Connolly.
Significant absentees from the squad include Caoimhin Kelleher, John Egan, and Troy Parrott through injury, while James McClean has been left out of the squad following his announcement about his upcoming retirement from international football following the home friendly next month to New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland Predicted Lineup:
Gavin Bazunu, Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Shane Duffy, Dara O’Shea, Ryan Manning, Josh Cullen, Alan Browne, Chiedozie Ogbene, Jason Knight, Evan Ferguson
Team News: Greece
Greece will be without George Baldock, who is dealing with a leg problem and will not get the chance to build on his nine caps this month. Gus Poyet has also overlooked 56-cap midfielder Kostas Fortounis and last season’s Eredivisie joint-top scorer Anastasios Douvikas, but the rest of the squad has a familiar feel to it.
On the back of an administrative error that saw him left out of the squad for the thrashing of Gibraltar, Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas should return, having missed that triumph due to the Greek FA allegedly believing that he was suspended.
Greece Predicted Lineup:
Odisseas Vlachodimos; Lazaros Rota, Dinos Mavropanos, Pantelis Chatzidiakos, Kostas Tsimikas; Tasos Bakasetas, Andreas Bouchalakis, Dimitris Pelkas; Giorgos Masouras, Vangelis Pavlidis, Taxiarchis Fountas
Will Evan Ferguson play against Greece?
The teenage striker has taken the Premier League by storm since his first appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion. However, the importance that he has for the Irish side is priceless, as seen when he was absent for Ireland’s last fixture as Kenny’s side missed countless chances against the Dutch.
His value to the Boys in Green was also reflectd in the lineup vs France, and he will undoubtedly help increase the Irish threat upfront. Yet, the lack of quality elsewhere may prove to be too much of a rescue mission for the young Meath man.
TV coverage and live streaming
You can watch Republic of Ireland vs. Greece on RTE2 in Ireland, while in the UK you can watch on Viaplay Xtra or DAZN, streaming the game from 7:45 p.m. BST.
Republic of Ireland vs Greece Predicted Lineups – The final word
Automatic qualification seems impossible for the Irish, and so they will have to hope to book themselves a play-off place for the tournament, igniting this hope with a victory over Greece. Regardless of the outcome, this may well be Stephen Kenny’s last game in Dublin as Ireland manager.
Greece’s win in the first meeting has placed them with a realistic chance of securing an automatic place in this group should they win both of their final fixtures. Gus Poyet has brought together a Greek side that had been absent from the past four international tournaments, which is an incredibly unwanted stat the 2004 European champions will look to put right with haste.
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