England vs Republic of Ireland

The spirits are conflicted as England and the Republic of Ireland go head-to-head in their final UEFA Nations League Group B2 outing.

England’s immediate return to the Nations League’s top table is back on track following a thumping 3-0 win at Greece during midweek, which saw them turn the tables on Ivan Jovanovic’s side after a shock 2-1 loss at Wembley last month. With four wins from five Group B2 matches and a superior head-to-head record against Greece, the Three Lions need to better Greece’s result against Finland in Lee Carsley’s farewell game in charge. Carsley defeated Ireland 2-0 on his touchline debut in September, with England registering a third consecutive shutout against this opposition (W2, D1). A win would likely offer the home fans some thrill, considering each of England’s four victories during Carsley’s interim tenure yielded multi-goal margins.

In the meantime, Ireland pulled off a crucial 1-0 home triumph against Finland in midweek to uphold their League B status with a game to spare. But barring a pair of victories against the Finns, the visitors have lost all three remaining matches in the ongoing Natoins League cycle by an identical 2-0 scoreline, highlighting the size of the task awaiting them this weekend. Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson can hardly expect the Boys in Green to stage an upset at Wembley, considering Ireland’s dreadful all-time record against England (W2, D9, L7). On top of that, his men have only won once in ten away Nations League games (W1, D3, L6).