Ireland – Armenia

Armenians will fight to keep their place in League B and not lose by more than one goal

There are two key fixtures in the sixth leg of Group 1 of the Nations League B. In Poland, Ukraine will try to defeat Scotland to earn a place in League A for the next round of the tournament. Ireland and Armenia, meanwhile, will be drawn in Dublin to determine the side that will remain in the second-tier division and the underdogs in the quartet who will go to League C to prove their mettle. The bookmakers put the Irish team as clear favorites, believing that the visitors can really score in Dublin. That said, the Irish team do not display enough football on the European stage to be regarded as clear favourites in any encounter. Including rivals such as Luxembourg, whom they recently lost to 0-1 at home. The Irish scored one goal in six games in the last Nations League tie and they stayed in League B only because the Bulgarians were worse performers. In World Cup qualifying, Ireland tied with Luxembourg for third and fourth place. Finally, the British team won just one game in the current Nations League, sending home the Scots without a single point. Armenia defeated Ireland 1-0 in their first-round match in Yerevan. However, Caparros' side's fortunes deteriorated quickly after their opening win in the tournament. Ukraine were twice defeated by their opponents, 8-0 on aggregate. Scotland pulled off the same trick against Armenia, with an equally impressive 1-6 draw. Only a win will allow Armenia to retain their place in League B, which they struggled to break through in the last round of the tournament. Armenia's main problem in the current Nations League has been a high rate of conceded goals. That said, Ireland are unlikely to be seen as a team capable of pulling off convincing wins even against opponents with poor defensive finishing. It's a safe bet that the visitors will not lose by more than one goal.