Rivals can do each other a favour

Ireland and Wales target Sunday wins

Group D rivals Republic of Ireland and Wales can do each other a huge favour on Sunday by winning. The race for qualification is finely balanced going into round six, where Ireland host Austria and Wales go to leaders Serbia.

Victory for ROI would give Wales a leg-up, Austria level with Chris Coleman’s side, while three points for Wales would strengthen their chances of going to Russia, while sending Ireland top of the table. Let’s check on how the betting shapes up in both matches.

Ireland looking to remain unbeaten

The Green Army sit level on points with Serbia, trailing the leaders by just two goals. A record of three wins and two draws has them in a great position to qualify for the World Cup proper, but they would’ve been kicking themselves having failed to beat the 10-men of Wales last time, ending goalless.

Ireland snuck a 1-0 over Austria in the reverse of this fixture last year, but are fancied by the Coral trading team to better that on Sunday. Austria do boast the best of the head-to-head stats, leading 8-4 with three draws, but they’ve manage just one win in their last four Group D matches, with the spare coming against basement boys Moldova.

ROI have picked up 10 points from the last 12 available to them, and the right set of results this weekend would see them take a firm grip of the pool. The home win is expected, but Coral’s price looks to be on the generous side, with 13/10 currently available.