Joe Rindl has the preview and the best bet for Republic of Ireland's trip to Luxembourg, with Stephen Kenny's side hoping history won't repeat itself.
Whatever way you look at it’s not been a great World Cup qualifying campaign for the Republic of Ireland.
The Boys in Green are fourth in Group A with one game remaining, having collected six points from their seven matches. They are a full 11 points off the top two.
Their poor qualifying campaign started with a 3-2 loss to Serbia, but it was their second match, a 1-0 loss to Luxembourg, that left their hopes of reaching a first World Cup since 2002 in tatters.
That win was only Luxembourg's fourth away victory ever in World Cup or European Championship qualifiers, a run that stretches 125 games.
Stephen Kenny’s side have since recovered and produced back-to-back home draws with Azerbaijan and Serbia on September 4 and September 7, and matched Portugal in a goalless draw on Thursday.
Ireland have shown glimpses of quality over the last year, their 3-0 win away to Azerbaijan last month produced a rare ruthless display. But ultimately their failure to put away teams ranked beneath them has cost them a place at another World Cup.
Kick-off time: 19:45 GMT, Sunday
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Luxembourg are definitely a team ranked below their opponents. They sit 94th in the world, 43 places behind the Boys in Green.
And yet, they currently occupy third place in the group with the minnows three points clear of their opponents.
Luxembourg have had a fantastic qualifying campaign, collecting nine points from their famous victory in Dublin and wins home and away against Azerbaijan.
But they are vulnerable, having lost three of their past five qualifiers and winning just one of their past seven games at home.
ROI value to win
History seems unlikely to repeat itself on this occasion, Ireland should stroll to an easy win.
The visitors have only lost one of their past nine matches, compared to Luxembourg’s six losses across the same time frame.
Two of those recent defeats have been by heavy scorelines against Portugal (5-0) and Serbia (4-1). Ireland have held both those sides in recent games.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND TO WIN at 6/5 (general) is the play.
Republic of Ireland v Portugal best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Republic of Ireland to win at 6/5 (general)
Score prediction: Luxembourg 0-1 Republic of Ireland (Sky Bet odds: 9/2)
Odds correct at 2230 BST (12/11/21)
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