Ireland vs. Armenia Betting Tips: A 10/1 fancy as hosts bid to avoid relegation

Republic of Ireland go in search of the point they need to ensure they remain in Group B on Tuesday night (7.45pm) when they host basement boys Armenia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, in what is sure to be a nerve-jangling contest. 

Below we pick out two fancies for the relegation face-off…

As it stands, heading into the final round of Nations League fixtures we have Scotland located in top spot on 12 points, Ukraine are two points behind and need a win in ​​Krakow to leapfrog the Scots, then Ireland find themselves 3rd with just four points on the board, and Armenia sit bottom on three points. So, there's still all to play for at both ends of the table.

Ireland, who have only scraped one win from their five games, need to avoid a defeat to ensure they don't suffer the big set-back of relegation down to the third-tier. Despite their poor form, the hosts have been handed odds of just 4/11 to record only their second victory of the campaign, while the draw is 4/1.

Armenia stunned Ireland 1-0 in the previous clash but have since lost their following four games and are a big price at 10/1 to complete the double over their opponents, and in the process stay in Group B.

Ireland to win is as short as 4/11, although a home win to nil offers more of an appeal at 9/10 with Bet Victor.

Ireland may have been thoroughly underwhelming in a group that they would have been expected to challenge for top spot, however they can take positives from a 3-0 pasting of Scotland while they were 1-0 up against the Scots on Saturday only to suffer a late 2-1 defeat. 

Ireland’s fate remains in their own hands against a country which hasn’t won in nine away games - failing to even score in six of their last seven on the road - which includes a heavy 9-0 defeat to Norway earlier this year. Armenia may have stunned Ireland in the opening fixture, but they’ve since lost their subsequent four successive matches; conceding 14 and scoring just once.

On top of this poor patch of form, Armenia's build-up to the must-win game has been rather chaotic with many of the country's media outlets calling for the under-fire manager, Joaquín Caparrós, to resign.

There will be nerves and tension among the home support but if Ireland can get off to a decent start then we could see some goals here in Dublin.

After all, Armenia's form has dropped off a cliff since these two last played, losing four in a row and leaking in an average of 3.5 goals per game. When their heads bow they really do crumble, resulting in some pretty heavy defeats in 2022: 9-0 (Norway), 5-0 (Ukraine), and 4-1 (Scotland).

Ireland, who scored three goals in their last home game against Scotland, will be expected to dominate possession and create plenty of chances against a vulnerable Armenia defence. Temperament could also be a problem for the visitors who have been handed three or more cards in three of their last four Nations League games and even had two players sent off in a 4-1 defeat to Scotland.

With this in mind I'll be having a little nibble on Ireland to score 3+ goals, Ireland to have 6+ corners, and Armenia to have 3+ Cards which is available at 10/1 with Paddy Power.