UEFA Nations League Group B2
Sunday, 13 October
Greece v Republic of Ireland, Karaiskakis Stadium, 7.45pm
TV/Player
Radio
Listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On from 7.30pm.
Online
Weather
A warm day with highs of 27 degrees Celsius in the Athens/Piraeus region on Sunday with temperatures expected to drop towards 17 degrees by night-time with a mix of sunny and cloudy spells.
What a difference a win makes
A gloom has hung over the Boys in Green for the longest time amid a dearth of meaningful victories. And it looked like another competitive outing to forget was on the cards when stand-in captain Nathan Collins made a horrendous error in Helsinki on Thursday night.
But they did something that hadn't been done in a competitive environment since beating Kazakhstan at the Aviva Stadium 11 years ago: Earning a comeback win after conceding first.
Liam Scales' header from Robbie Brady's set-piece and the latter's strike into the roof of the net from Festy Ebosele's pinpoint cross saw Ireland triumph 2-1 over a Finland side in transition and give the Heimir Hallgrimsson era its first great fillip.
No surprise then to see Brady run straight to the long-suffering away support after scoring what proved to be the winner.
It was by no means an outstanding performance with the Ireland manager himself acknowledging that it was a "Jekyll and Hyde performance" in which Finland could have retaken the lead shortly before Brady's goal.
But the result was the paramount thing in order to dissipate some of the melancholy that has hung over the men's national team and led to a collective dip in confidence that Hallgrimsson has it as a stated aim to improve on.
Heimir Hallgrimsson and player of the match Robbie Brady reflect on a sweet win for the Republic of Ireland in Helsinki with @Corktod #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/yXle7zFKn3
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 10, 2024
A win but a tough environment in which to try and follow it up
So the winning feeling is flowing through the veins again but following it up will be another story especially given the quality and cohesion that Greece possess.
The Greeks are coming into Sunday's match at Piraeus' Karaiskakis Stadium off the back of beating group favourites England 2-1 at Wembley to make it three wins from three in this edition of the Nations League.
It was an impressive display and result that could have been by a greater margin. It was also all the more emotional as it came in the wake of the death of Greek international and former Sheffield United full back George Baldock this week, a tragedy that has led to a host of tributes from far and wide including on the Wembley pitch after Greece's win.
Baldock, who had not been called up for this month's international window, played in Greece's World Cup qualifier win over Ireland in Athens' OPAP Arena last summer, one of three victories in a row over the Boys in Green over the past 16 months including the 2-0 in Dublin last month.
The Mediterranean nation have never lost to the Boys in Green in six previous meetings and will be favourites to extend that head-to-head record on Sunday.
Thus, a draw in the circumstances would be a good result for Hallgrimsson's squad and a four-point haul from October would mark a positive window after September's setbacks.
Intriguing options emerge
How Ireland will line up in Piraeus will be interesting to see after a small clutch of players put their hands up for further consideration in Helsinki.
Finn Azaz made an impression as the most advanced midfielder in a 71-minute cameo, with the Middlesbrough man earning his third cap in the process after making his debut against Switzerland earlier this year.
Festy Ebosele's starring turn as a substitute in the closing stages will also encourage the management team to give him more minutes as an impact player, although chances are that won't be at right back, with lingering doubts about the Watford loanee's defensive attributes in the back-four shape that Hallgrimsson appears to be moving towards - Ebosele's experience at Udinese and now Watford has largely been at wing-back in back three systems.
For two games in a row now, a centre-back has been deployed at right back with Dara O'Shea starting there on Thursday after Andrew Omobamidele did so against Greece in September, while Liam Scales' left-footedness as the left-sided centre-back has been talked up as a benefit by the manager.
Robbie Brady's decisive display in Helsinki plus his experience makes it almost certain that the versatile Preston North End player will again line out at left back.
Evan Ferguson still appeared rusty against Finland but flickered in enough moments to suggest that he may rediscover his form before long and is primed to lead the line again.
The only player missing from the squad since Helsinki will be Mark McGuinness who has returned to Luton Town for treatment on an ankle injury.
Otherwise, Hallgrimsson will be picking from the deck that he had for the first of October's assignments and based on how things played out against Finland, the Icelandic coach will feel that tad bit more buoyed by the options available to him.
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