Preview: Republic of Ireland vs. Gibraltar - prediction, team news, lineups

Stephen Kenny's side went down 2-1 to Greece in their most recent affair, while their 201st-ranked minnows were swept aside 3-0 by France.

Match preview

On the back of their failed bid to qualify for Euro 2020, Ireland have not done themselves any favours early doors in Group B, firstly being downed 1-0 by France before a sojourn to Athens also ended in dejection for the Boys in Green.

Anastasios Bakasetas's thunderous penalty gave Greece the lead with just 15 minutes gone, and while Nathan Collins tapped home at the back stick to equalise for Ireland - who were awarded the goal after a VAR review - Georgios Masouras's composed finish just after the restart put Kenny's men to the sword.

Ireland could have taken the positives from their valiant showing against France three months ago, but Kenny was in no position to reject the criticism that came his way after Friday's defeat - one which leaves the world's 49th-ranked nation fourth in the fledgling Group B standings.

With two meetings with the Netherlands and a trip to the Stade de France still to come for Kenny's side, a third Euros finals qualification from their last four attempts will be an extremely tall order now, but Dublin has often been where the heart is for the hosts.

Indeed, Ireland went unbeaten in 14 successive home games in Euros qualifying before being defeated by France in March, and even then Les Bleus only got over the line thanks to a Benjamin Pavard stunner, so vindication should be on the cards for Kenny's charges here.

Only the pluckiest of souls would have had Gibraltar down to stun France with any degree of confidence on matchday three, and while Les Bleus were far from their best, Didier Deschamps's men barely needed to hit second gear to record a comfortable win.

Olivier Giroud's header, Kylian Mbappe's penalty and Aymen Mouelhi's own goal all contributed to the downfall of Gibraltar, whose only real half-chance came via a speculative Ayoub El Hmidi strike, as the debutant let fly from the halfway line and saw his effort land on the top of Brice Samba's goal.

Now with a trio of 3-0 losses to show from fixtures against Greece, the Netherlands and France, Los Llanis have assumed their position at the foot of the standings with zero points and zero goals to their name; the only other team to have played three games without scoring so far is San Marino.

Despite ending 2022 with a pair of friendly wins over Andorra and Liechtenstein, Julio Ribas's men - who were relegated from the third tier of the Nations League last year - would have been realistic about their expectations for Group B, and their wait for a maiden appearance at a major tournament will surely go on for a little while longer.

Ireland and Gibraltar's only previous meetings have come in Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 qualifiers, and the Boys in Green boast four wins from those four games, scoring 14 goals and conceding a grand total of zero at the other end of the field.

Republic of Ireland Euro Champ Qualifying form:

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Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):

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Gibraltar Euro Champ Qualifying form:

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Gibraltar form (all competitions):

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W

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Team News

Insult was added to injury for Ireland in the closing stages of Friday's loss, as Matt Doherty was given a straight red card for violent conduct following an injury-time fracas with Kostas Tsimikas and Giorgos Tzavellas.

With the right-back now serving a suspension and Seamus Coleman absent due to injury, Kenny is noticeably short of options on the right-hand side, so either Mark Sykes or Dara O'Shea should deputise - the former is a more likely candidate if the hosts continue with a wing-back system.

Kenny's alterations failed to bear fruit on Friday night, so recalls for Troy Parrott and Jason Knight may be in order, while James McClean needs just one more appearance to hit the 100-cap mark for his country.

In contrast, Gibraltar would have been able to welcome all-time leading appearance maker and joint top scorer Liam Walker back from suspension after his sending off against the Netherlands, but the former Portsmouth man was not called up for June's fixtures.

Instead, 18-year-old Cadiz protege Nicholas Pozo should continue in the middle of the park, while Louie Annesley - who plays his football in Ireland with Dundalk - could be considered for a start at the back.

However, captain Roy Chipolina is still going strong at 40 and should retain his spot in front of goalkeeper Dayle Coleing, whose seven saves against France kept the scoreline respectable.

Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:

Bazunu; O'Shea, Collins, Egan; Sykes, Cullen, Molumby, Knight, O'Dowda; Ferguson, Parrott

Gibraltar possible starting lineup:

Coleing; Sergeant, R. Chipolina, Lopes, Olivero, Britto; De Barr, Pozo, Hartman, Ronan; El Hmidi

We say: Republic of Ireland 2-0 Gibraltar

During the qualifying phase for Euro 2016, Ireland stormed to a pair of 7-0 and 4-0 wins over Gibraltar, but the gap was narrowed four years later as the Boys in Green netted just three goals in their subsequent two meetings.

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