Georgia v Rep of Ireland: Back the Boys in Green to eventually do the business

Seamus Coleman is an important player for Ireland

Daniel McDonnell thinks Martin O'Neill's Ireland side can do the business in Tbilisi on Sunday night, but it might take them a while to break the Georgians down...

Georgia v Republic of Ireland
Sunday, 17.00
Live on Sky Sports 5

Match Odds 

Georgia 3.45n/a, Republic Of Ireland 2.47/5, The Draw 3.3512/5

A new dawn beckons for Irish football under the management of Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane, although the fact they are practically using the same personnel as the old regime means that the jury is out on whether their appointment will instigate a dramatic turnaround.

Eight friendly matches have blurred the lines, particularly when the final warm-up against Oman featured a completely experimental side. In the heat of battle - and it should be warm in Tbilisi - we will find out if O'Neill favours a dramatically different tactical approach to his predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni.

On the injury front, preparations for this game have gone reasonably well with James McClean the only likely starter to miss out. O'Neill must decide whether to go with the recalled Shay Given in goal ahead of David Forde and also whether to stick with skipper Robbie Keane or favour an alliance between Wes Hoolahan and Shane Long in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

Either way, he should have good options on the bench against a Georgia side with a tendency to make life difficult for visiting teams even if their overall record fails to inspire. They have never threatened to qualify from any qualification pool and, while they gave Spain and France a few issues at home in the last World Cup campaign, they actually fired blanks in three out of four Tbilisi outings.

Ireland may not have set the world alight in preliminaries but O'Neill was not placing much stock in friendly results. It may actually suit to keep one of Long or Keane in reserve and hope that patience prevails. With James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman growing into serious players, and experience in other areas, this Irish group should have the nous to take the victory at 2.47/5.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals 

Georgia's aforementioned propensity for low scoring affairs on home turf would suggest that the 1.558/15 about Under 2.5 Goals is a fair enough price, although they could be more adventurous against a team which will not intimidate them. Caution in this market is advised.

Half Time/Full Time

This market is an interesting one in the context of O'Neill's discussion in the preliminaries about possibly starting with a lower tempo in the heat and using his bench carefully. Under Trapattoni, Ireland had a tendency to fly out of the blocks and then climb back into a shell. O'Neill has favoured a slightly less direct approach with his preference for Hoolahan helping Ireland in the ball retention stakes. They may have to withstand early pressure here and buying into the theory that the bench will be vital lends itself to the conclusion that the 5.39/2 about a tie at the interval and away success full time is the pick.

Recommended Bet

Back Draw/Ireland in the Half Time/Full Time market at 5.39/2