England vs Ireland Match Preview

England’s 3-0 triumph over Greece took them to the top of the Nations League B2 table with one round of group-stage matches still to play and the Three Lions will hope to seal promotion when Ireland visit Wembley on Sunday. 

England interim manager Lee Carsley guided his team to a 2-0 victory when these teams met in Dublin at the beginning of the 2024/25 Nations League but Ireland’s players will have revenge on their minds in Sunday’s fixture, which starts at 5pm and will be broadcast on ITV.

England is on the verge of sealing a promotion

A shock 2-1 Wembley loss to Greece in the last international break left England with work to do in their bid to seal automatic Nations League promotion but subsequent away wins over Finland and the Greeks have propelled the Three Lions to top spot with one match to play.

Despite a raft of squad withdrawals, England impressed in Athens on Thursday as Goals from Ollie Watkins and Curtis Jones, plus a Jude Bellingham-inspired own goal, saw them leapfrog Greece, who must now beat Finland and hope that Ireland can claim an unlikely victory.

Lee Carsley, managing the Three Lions for the final time before Thomas Tuchel takes the reins, will hope to mastermind a win against a nation for whom he was capped 40 times as a player.

Ireland have had mixed results in Group B2 since losing 2-0 to England in Dublin in September, suffering two defeats against Greece and earning narrow-margin wins over the hapless Finns.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Boys in Green are booked for third place in the section but motivation is never an issue when they play England, so don’t expect the underdogs to go down easily.

Tip 1: England to win & both teams to score @ 5/2

England’s strength in depth came to the fore in Athens on Thursday night as a makeshift squad churned out a 3-0 victory and, given the quality at their disposal, it would come as a surprise if the Three Lions fail to beat Ireland.

While the visitors are set for a relegation play-off and have only pride to play for, a meeting with England provides added motivation for Ireland, who will be keen to make their presence felt.

England have kept three clean sheets in five Nations League matches but they conceded twice in their last Wembley outing – the surprise last-gasp loss to Greece – then they shipped late on in a 3-1 win over Finland.

There is no doubting their attacking quality but a patched-up England backline, now likely to be without Ezri Konsa, looked vulnerable at times against Greece, who threatened on the break and forced Jordan Pickford to make one particularly superb save.With Sammie Szmodics and Evan Ferguson leading the line, Ireland do not lack scoring threats and can net in defeat.

Tip 2: Noni Madueke first goalscorer @ 6/1

Harry Kane is poised for a recall to England’s starting line-up and unsurprisingly tops the first goalscorer markets but value-seekers should take a punt on Noni Madueke, who caught the eye against Greece on Thursday.

Chelsea’s livewire winger has scored four goals in ten games for the Blues this season and while he was happy to turn provider for Ollie Watkins in Athens, he has never been one to shy away from a shot at goal should a chance present itself.