Czechia vs Republic of Ireland predictions and betting tips – Boys in Green seek semi success

The Republic of Ireland almost did not make it this far, but they are now just two wins away from the World Cup. Czechia stand in their way in the semi-finals.

Will Heimir Halgrimsson’s men get the result they need in Prague, or will this be a bridge too far for the Republic of Ireland? All will be revealed on Thursday evening…

• Czechia to win – 10/11 with Tote
• Under 2.5 goals – 5/7 with 247Bet
• Patrik Schick to score any time – 7/4 with SBK

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland odds

Find the latest Czechia vs Republic of Ireland betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland predictions

With three World Cup qualifiers left to play, the Republic of Ireland looked dead and buried.

Ireland had just lost 1-0 to Portugal, who scored the only goal of the game in second-half stoppage time. That painful defeat left them bottom of Group F at the midway stage of the campaign.

At that point, no one expected Ireland to be in this position – and perhaps that helped them. A nervy 1-0 victory over Armenia kept their hopes alive, but it was the shock 2-0 triumph over Portugal last November that significantly raised hopes among the Irish football public.

Even then, Ireland knew they had to go to Hungary on the final day and win. Two-one down with 10 minutes left to play, Heimir Halgrimsson’s side staged a dramatic comeback that will live long in the memories of Irish supporters, as Troy Parrott completed his hat-trick in the sixth minute of added time to give his team a 3-2 victory.

That success saw them leapfrog Hungary and qualify for the play-offs, where Ireland will face Czechia in the semi-finals before a potential final against either Denmark or North Macedonia.

“I didn’t care that much who the opponent would be because it’s all teams ranked above us, it’s all teams that will play at home so for me it’s not much of a difference who we face,” Hallgrimsson said after this match was confirmed.

“I know Czech Republic, I played them with Iceland and lost in the Czech Republic so I know it’s a tough place to go to, but anything can happen in this game – like we saw in Hungary.”

Czechia also finished second in their group, six points behind winners Croatia and six ahead of third-placed Faroe Islands.

The Czechs suffered a 2-1 defeat by the Faroes last October, an ignominious result which led to the sacking of Ivan Hasek.

The veteran Czech coach Miroslav Koubek is now calling the shots with the national team, and he believes his team will have to fight hard against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday.

“The players we’ve picked [in this squad] are, in our opinion, the right soldiers for this war. What happens next remains to be seen,” he said. 

“You consider every name from all angles, including the opponent and the premise of the game. It will be a war with Ireland and you are dealing with exactly these things.”

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland betting tips

Czechia host the Republic of Ireland as the World Cup qualification play-offs get under way.

Home advantage key

Were this a two-legged tie, the Republic of Ireland would fancy their chances of progressing via a victory on home turf.

However, being able to play a one-off game in front of your own fans is a huge advantage and that is one of the main reasons we are leaning towards Czechia here.

Of course, Ireland beat Hungary away from home a few months back, but that was a unique game in which their opponents were caught between going for a win and playing for a draw.

Czechia are not the easiest side on the eye, but they know what it takes to qualify for major tournaments, having taken part in each of the last eight European Championships. We expect them to edge this one.

Back Czechia to win at 10/11 with Tote

Tight game in store

Koubek is preparing his “soldiers” for “war” on Thursday. That sort of terminology indicates he does not expect a free-flowing festival of attacking football.

The Czechia coach is probably right. This is likely to be an attritional affair, in large part because the stakes are so high.

Czechia scored 18 goals in the group stage, but 10 of those came against minnows Gibraltar. They are a physical team but one which lacks quality in the final third.

The Republic of Ireland improved as an attacking force as the group phase went on, but it is hard to see either side creating an abundance of chances in Prague.

Go for under 2.5 goals at 5/7 with 247Bet

Czechs look to Schick

If the aforementioned Parrott is the Republic of Ireland’s big attacking hope in the play-offs, Patrik Schick is the player to whom Czechia will look for inspiration in the final third.

Only Croatia forward Andrej Kramaric scored more goals in Group L than Schick, who beat opposition goalkeepers four times.

Schick has scored 15 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this term, including a brace against Heidenheim last time out.

The 30-year-old, who is Czechia’s fourth-highest all-time goalscorer, can make the net bulge at the Fortuna Arena.

Choose Patrik Schick to score any time at 7/4 with SBK

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland predicted lineups

• Czechia expected lineup: Kovar; Coufal, Hranac; Zeleny; Jurasek; Doudera, Beran, Soucek, Karabec; Schick, Chory.
• Republic of Ireland expected lineup: Kelleher; O’Brien, Collins, O’Shea; Coleman, Lawal, Molumby, Manning; Ogbene, Azaz; Parrott.

Where to watch Czechia vs Republic of Ireland

• Location: Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czechia.
• Date and time: Thursday 26th March, 7.45pm.
• How to watch: Amazon Prime PPV.

More World Cup predictions

We have plenty more World Cup predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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