Preview

The Republic of Ireland will play their first match since the infamous Thierry Henry handball. The Irish were unable to win the play-off and missed out on the World Cup Finals as a result.

Brazil qualified first in the CONMEBOL table for South Africa but didn't  dominate the group by any stretch. They were first in the table but this included 7 draws and less wins than 2nd place Chile and 3rd place Paraguay.

Brazil have as much talent as any team and will have Kaka, Robinho, Dani Alves, Julio Cesar, Maicon, and Adriano all available for the match. There are no players UK based players in the side and most play in the Italian Serie A.

Ireland can’t match the talent of the Brazilians but do have quality players who are capable of making the the match competitive. Goalkeeper Shay Given (possibly the best in the world at the moment?) has proven to be quality along with defender Richard Dunne, midfielder Damien Duff, and striker Robbie Keane.

The match will take place at the Emirates which is an advantage for Ireland. Almost all their players are already playing in England so the amount of travel will be limited and it should be a home match atmosphere. Even with these benefits, the Irish have a tough test on their hands.

Brazil has experience and talent that very few countries can match, but friendlies are notouriously hard to predict.

Ireland showed against France they are a quality side defensively, and there are far worse sides going to South Africa this summer.

Prediction

Brazil is the stronger and better team but it still could be close, and Ireland can keep things level until the second period. Draw/Brazil is our idea of the HT/FT result at7/2 with Ladbrokes - a stand alone price in this market.

Elsewhere tonight there are a clutch of U21 internationals and re-arranged league games. We have a members bet in League 2

Published 02-03-2010

< return to the home page