The Republic of Ireland's wafer-thin chances of Euro 2024 qualification could be wiped out on Friday, when the Boys in Green host Greece in Group B at the Aviva Stadium.
The fourth-placed hosts sit one spot and six points worse off than their upcoming opponents, who are guaranteed a playoff spot at the very least.
Match preview
© Reuters
Only cellar-dwelling Gibraltar have fallen to Ireland's superiority during a dismal period of Euro 2024 qualifying for the Boys in Green, who sought to make it to the Finals for the third time in four cycles this time around, having punched their tickets to the 2012 and 2016 tournaments.
Stephen Kenny's side came so close yet to so far in 2020 with an agonising playoff defeat, but there will be no second chances for the hosts this time around on account of their poor Nations League finish, and their fate could be sealed by the close of play on Friday.
Despite entering their summer holidays on the back of a 3-0 success over Gibraltar, Ireland quickly returned to losing ways in September, succumbing to a 2-0 loss to France before failing to cling onto an early lead against the Netherlands, as Cody Gakpo and Wout Weghorst cancelled out an Adam Idah penalty.
Four defeats from five leaves Kenny's side on the brink of elimination, as they sit six points behind Greece and the Netherlands and will be eliminated from contention with a defeat, or if they draw and the Netherlands manage to stun France in their top-of-the-table encounter.
Pipping Les Bleus or Oranje to one of the automatic qualification places was always going to be a tall order for the Irish, but scoring in 14 of their last 15 home matches in Euros qualifying - the aberration being a 1-0 loss to France in March - at least gives the Dublin faithful a tiny sliver of hope.
© Reuters
Seeking to extinguish that hope while keeping their own hopes of a top-two finish alive is a Greece side who have blown hot and cold throughout qualifying so far, but Gus Poyet's side were in a merciless mood when Gibraltar made a stopover in Athens last month.
West Ham United new boy Dinos Mavropanos contributed an unlikely brace to that destruction, while Georgios Masouras's own double and an early Dimitrios Pelkas strike also added to Gibraltar's humiliation in a 5-0 thumping, leaving Greece as the closest challengers to expected top two France and the Netherlands.
The Pirate Ship - who failed to make the Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 finals - are level on points with the second-placed Dutch at this juncture and boast a superior goal difference, but Ronald Koeman's side do boast a game in hand and will test Greece's continental mettle next Monday.
Prior to the visit of the Dutch, Greece - whose Nations League promotion means that they will earn a spot in the playoffs at the very least - aim to correct a patchy run of away form, which has seen them win just one of their last six battles on rival territory, as well as prevailing in just three of their last 13 Euro qualifying contests outside of their headquarters.
However, the head-to-head column overwhelmingly favours the 2004 winners, who have gone unbeaten in their four previous meetings with Ireland - most recently triumphing 2-1 in June - so the Boys in Green must end their Greek hoodoo lest they be condemned to another year without top-level continental football.
Team News
© Reuters
Notable defensive absentees have plagued Ireland ahead of October's fixtures with Greece and Gibraltar, as Liverpool number two Caoimhin Kelleher is out with a knee injury - which required 12 stitches - while John Egan, Enda Stevens and Aaron Connolly are also absent.
James McClean collected his 102nd senior cap against the Dutch last month, but the Wrexham winger has now announced that he will retire from international duty at the end of the calendar year, although he has not been called up to the ranks this time around anyway.
Max O'Leary, Sammie Szmodics and Liam Scales represent a trio of uncapped players in the hosts' ranks, while Brighton & Hove Albion hotshot Evan Ferguson makes a welcome return to his national team following a couple of fitness woes.
While Ireland are without one Sheffield United representative in Egan, Greece will also complete October's fixtures in the absence of his Blades teammate George Baldock, who is dealing with a leg problem and will not get the chance to build on his nine caps this month.
Poyet has also overlooked 56-cap midfielder Kostas Fortounis and last season's Eredivisie joint-top scorer Anastasios Douvikas - who now plies his trade with Celta Vigo - but the rest of the Pirate Ship squad has a familiar feel to it.
On the back of a farcical administrative error which saw him left out of the squad for the thrashing of Gibraltar, Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas should return to his rightful place at left-back, having missed that triumph due to the Greek FA allegedly believing that he was suspended.
Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; O'Shea, Collins, Duffy; Doherty, Cullen, Browne, Manning; Ogbene, Idah; Ferguson
Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Chatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Bakasetas, Bouchalakis, Pelkas; Masouras, Pavlidis, Fountas
We say: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Greece
A draw will not be sufficient to keep Ireland's top-two hopes alive if the Netherlands can put France to the sword, and the Ferguson-led Boys in Green ought to go for broke on a ground where they traditionally have few problems finding the back of the net.
Greece's dissatisfactory run on the road also serves as a reason for Irish optimism, but Poyet's resilient side are not to be taken lightly and can hold Kenny's men to a point, which may or may not condemn them to their fate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
Spain
Scotland
Norway
Georgia
Cyprus
France
Netherlands
Greece
Rep. Ireland
Gibraltar
England
Italy
Ukraine
N. Macedonia
Malta
Turkey
Croatia
Wales
Armenia
Latvia
Albania
Czech Republic
Poland
Moldova
Faroe Islands
Belgium
Austria
Sweden
Azerbaijan
Estonia
Hungary
Serbia
Montenegro
Lithuania
Bulgaria
Denmark
Slovenia
Finland
Kazakhstan
N. Ireland
San Marino
Romania
Switzerland
Israel
Belarus
Kosovo
Andorra
Portugal
Slovakia
Luxembourg
Iceland
Bosnia H'vina
Liechtenstein
