Ireland continue their Euro 2012 campaign on Saturday night when they welcome Macedonia to the Aviva Stadium for their Group B clash. Giovanni Trapattoni's Irish side are well placed in second in the Group B table at the moment and are odds on 4/9 favourites to win the match according to Paddy Power, while Macedonia are second from bottom and priced 15/2, with the draw available at 3/1.
Trapattoni has something of a selection headache going into the match however as John O'Shea, Seamus Coleman and Shay Given have been ruled out and Sean St Ledger is a major doubt. It means Darren O'Dea should come into Trapattoni's 4-4-2 formation which has come under much scrutiny since Ireland lost 3-2 to Russia in October.
There was good news for Ireland though as Damien Duff should be fit and the tricky winger looks good value to score anytime at 3/1 with PaddyPower after scoring three goals in three matches for Fulham in the Premier League. Robbie Keane is also gaining match fitness and made his return from injury for his loan club West Ham two weeks ago after a month out. Keane has scored one in three for West Ham so far and his international form is exceptional, scoring four in his last six matches for Ireland, and he looks very tempting to score first on Saturday at odds of 9/2.
Ireland in fact have scored in eight of their last nine matches and won four of their last seven at home. They are three points ahead of Macedonia in Group B at the moment and history is certainly on their side as they beat Macedonia 3-0 in 1996 and 1-0 in 1999, both times at home.
Another Ireland clean sheet in Dublin this weekend is 8/11 on and the Ireland win to nil could be worth a look and is available at odds of 11/10 with PaddyPower.com. That looks particularly good when you consider Macedonia have failed to score in their last four matches and have won only one of their last eight - against lowly Andorra. However, Macedonia have only conceded more than one goal in a match once in thirteen fixtures and under 2.5 goals on Saturday is 4/6 on.
Macedonia's most obvious goal threat comes from their Inter Milan striker Goran Pandev. The striker has scored two goals in his last four matches for Inter, including the late winner in their thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Bayern Munich recently. Paddy Power offer odds of 9/1 for Pandev to score first or 16/5 anytime.
Ireland should emerge victorious from the match and keep their Euro 2012 qualification bid on track despite their current injury problems. It could well be a low scoring match though with Macedonia proving themselves to be a defensively sound outfit and the correct score of 1-0 to Ireland could be the way to go at odds of 4/1 with Paddy Power.
Ireland v Macedonia Form
Check the latest statistics, group standings and results at our dedicated Euro 2012 mini-site.
Ireland v Macedonia Tips
Tip #1: Robbie Keane to score first @ 9/2 with PaddyPower.com
Tip #2: Ireland to win to nil @ 11/10 with PaddyPower.com
Tip #3: Ireland to win 1-0 @ 4/1 with PaddyPower.com
Match Betting
4/9 Ireland
3/1 Draw
15/ Macedonia
Correct Score Odds
4/1 Ireland 1-0
5/1 Ireland 2-0
7/1 Ireland 2-1
15/2 Draw 0-0
13/2 Draw 1-1
19/1 Draw 2-2
14/1 Macedonia 1-0
40/1 Macedonia 2-0
22/1 Macedonia 2-1
First Goalscorer Odds
7/2 Kevin Doyle
9/2 Robbie Keane
5/1 Shane Long
5/1 Jonathan Walters
6/1 Andrew Keogh
7/1 No Goalscorer
8/1 Damien Duff
9/1 Aidan McGeady
9/1 Goran Pandev
10/1 Liam Lawrence
10/1 Darron Gibson
Odds supplied by PaddyPower.com, plus over 100 other betting markets on this match and all of the Euro 2012 qualifying matches, including live betting in-running.
Posted: Friday, 25th March 2011
Author: Chris James
Tags: european championship, ireland, macedonia, robbie keane, paddypower,
 | Huddersfield V Notts County Odds Goals To Be Of A Premium At The Galpharm Terries odds on to win match in betting | 25th Mar |
 | Serbia V Northern Ireland Betting Serbians Odds On To Win Low Scoring Qualifier Colin Healy aims to and his international goal drought behind closed doors in Belgrade | 24th Mar |
| Wales V England Odds Andy Carroll Looks Tempting In The First Goalscorer Betting England odds on to win difficult match at the Millennium Stadium | 24th Mar |
| MK Dons V Peterborough Betting Posh Good Odds To Make It Six Wins On The Bounce George Boyd great price to score first | 21st Mar |
 | Tottenham V West Ham Odds Spurs Could Come From Behind And Win Yet Again Tottenham have saved more points from losing positions than any team in the league | 18th Mar |
Headline News
| Euro 2012 Top Goalscorer Betting Preview Mario Gomez Favourite To Land Golden Boot Robin Van Persie In The Mix At The Head Of The Betting |
 | Bonfire Clipped In The Latest Epsom Derby Betting Following Key Trial Win 2000 Guineas Winner Camelot Remains Favourite |
 | Andre Villas Boas Eased Out In The Latest Liverpool Manager Betting Roberto Martinez Firms Up As An Evens Favourite |
 | West Ham Odds On To Stay Up On Return To The Premier League Next Season Hammers Short Priced For A Bottom Half Finish Though |
 | Russian Grannies Lead Eurovision Semi Final Odds Jedward Ready For Battle |
BRAND NEW £250 free bets offer.
Open Account - Free £250 Bets With Paddypower
£25 free bet with William Hill.
Open Account - Claim £25 Free With William Hill
Claim a massive £50 free bet with teh leading bookmaker Ladbrokes
Open Account - Free £50 Bet at Ladbrokes
The UK based bookmaker Betfred is now offering a £50 free bet for new clients.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Betfred
New £50 free bet offer.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Coral
BetVictor is offering £100 in free bets to all new clients.
Open Account - Open Account - Free £100 Bets With BetVictor
Up to £200 worth of free bets with Bet365.
Open Account - Claim £200 Free With Bet365
Those looking for some online casino entertainment ought to check out all the latest UK Casino Sign Up offers from the top operators including 32Red and many of the sports betting casinos.
There is excellent information, should you be interested in playing online blackjack, roulette, the best progressives or slots - Online Casino Betting with the best introductory offers
Bookmark This Page