Republic Of Ireland v Scotland
Football : International Carling Nations Cup
Sunday 29 May 2011 - Kickoff 6:30pm
This game is live on TV

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Republic Of Ireland

While the 2 Nations at the bottom of the Nations Cup have been talking down the significance of this tournament, the Republic Of Ireland are in pole position to win the trophy on their own patch and are probably very proud of what they have achieved so far.

After beating Wales 3-0 in their opening game, the Republic Of Ireland took advantage of a youthful Northern Irish team on Tuesday night and proceeded to wallop them 5-0. This means they are in a position where a draw with Scotland will see the Irish finish top of the group.

Eire are also in a strong position in their Qualifying Group for Euro 2012, sharing the lead with Russia and Slovakia as they get ready for the culmination of those qualifiers in October. This trophy could provide the boost for them to actually push on and qualify for Poland and Ukraine next Summer.

Giovanni Trappatoni has played a strong team in both games in the competition and I would doubt he would change his mind with this final game to come on Sunday.

Scotland

Craig Levein is another manager who is taking this tournament a little more seriously than the Welsh and the Northern Irish, but I do wonder how much of that is down to actually winning games rather than having nothing to play for.

Scotland had to fight back from a goal deficit at half time against an inexperienced Welsh side on Wednesday night. A much stronger Scotland team showed their class in the 2nd half to pull away with a 3-1 win. Coupled with a 3-0 win over Northern Ireland, and Scotland can still win this tournament with a win on Sunday.

As I mentioned in my preview for Wales v Scotland, Scotland do not usually travel well away from home, and the wins in this competition are their first in around 18 months. They had also previously struggled for goals in away games and now face a strong Republic Of Ireland team at their home ground.

Levein has played a strong Scotland team in the first two games of the tournament and I expect the same again on Sunday.

Head to Head

This will be the first meeting between these nations since 2003 when the Republic Of Ireland won 0-2 in Glasgow.

Scotland did win 1-2 on their last visit to Dublin, although that came in 2000.

Prediction

Both teams should play strong teams to try and secure the trophy. The Republic Of Ireland can secure the title if they draw the game, but I have a feeling we may see a bit more out of them here.

Scotland have struggled when travelling outside of their own nation in recent games, and I am not paying too much attention to their wins against weakened Northern Irish and Welsh teams. The Republic Of Ireland are a different kettle of fish and will be playing with the home support behind them.

I was a little surprised to see the Irish being priced up at odds against in some places and I will be taking that price here.

The Pick :

Republic Of Ireland 2-0 Scotland

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back the Republic Of Ireland @ 2.00 (2 UNITS)

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