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Republic of Ireland v Azerbaijan – Preview, Lineups, Odds, TV Coverage

The Republic of Ireland return home after their heartbreak in Faro and host Azerbaijan in their fourth fixture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in front of home fans at the Aviva Stadium.

The Group A showdown means one of the sides will finally get points on the board after both teams suffered losses to Portugal, Serbia and Luxembourg.

Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland side came close in their last match against Portugal after two disappointing opening games against Serbia and Luxembourg but it was not to be.

Our match report detailed an Ireland that had cohesion in defence and offered threats up top via the vision of their midfield.

More of the same will be expected against an Azerbaijan side who have given up at least twice as many shots as they have taken in each of their three other qualifying games.

They will hope to get their second win under the former Dundalk and Ireland U21 boss against the side ranked 112th in the world.

Ireland have announced their team for today’s game, which sees Ronan Curtis, Alan Browne and Callum Robinson all make a return to the matchday 23.

Ireland’s full-backs will once again be crucial to their performance – the duo of Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty will retain their spots after the Portugal match.

Norwich City’s Andrew Omibamidele made his debut for the national side after he came on in Dara O’Shea’s place after the latter centre-half was forced off through injury.

Omibamidele impressed and will appear again on the bench for the Republic of Ireland as the formation shifts from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2.

Giovanni De Biasi’s side tends to set up defensively but do deploy wing-backs and can offer a threat in the final third if given the chance.

Lineups

Republic of Ireland (4-4-2): Bazunu; Coleman, Duffy, Egan, Doherty; Connolly, Cullen, Molumby, McClean; Idah, Parrott.

Subs: Kelleher, Talbot, Manning, Hourihane, Robinson, Hendrick, Browne, Horgan, McGrath, Collins, Curtis, Omibamidele.

Azerbaijan (4-3-3): Mahammadaliyev; Medvedev (C), Haghverdi, Camalov, Kryvotsiuk; Mahmudov, Qarayev, Bayramov; Alasgarov, Emreli, Ozobic.

Subs: Salahli, Mustafayev, Ahmadzada, Seydayev, Cannatov, Huseynov, Mustafazada, Nuriyev, Khalilzada, Ibrahimli, Sadykhov, Bayramov.

Odds

Republic of Ireland 1/2

Draw 11/4

Azerbaijan 6/1

TV Coverage 

Kick-off for the match is at 5:00 pm with RTÉ 2 broadcasting the game – their coverage begins at 4 pm.

All Blacks name team for Australia test

The All-Blacks team has been named to play Australia in the Fortinet Rugby Championship Test at Optus Stadium, Perth, on Sunday 5th September

There is just the one change from the starting forward pack from the Bledisloe Cup-winning Test in Auckland last month, with lock Scott Barrett coming in for Samuel Whitelock in the second row.

Patrick Tuipulotu has a tight groin that sees Tupou Vaa’i come onto the bench for his first Test of 2021. Ethan Blackadder also comes onto the bench as a loose forward cover. Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks for the first time at number eight.

In the backs, Brad Weber gets his second start at halfback in his 11th Test, with TJ Perenara to provide impact off the bench.

Beauden Barrett is at first five-eighth while Anton Lienert-Brown returns from injury at center, outside David Havili. Rieko Ioane moves to the left-wing, Will Jordan is on the right-wing and Jordie Barrett is at fullback. Damian McKenzie and George Bridge are the other back reserves.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said: “We are ready, and the team is really determined to finish off this block of Tests against Australia with a top performance.

“We’ve had a really unique situation going into this Test, with quarantine back in New Zealand and a ‘soft’ quarantine here in Perth, but the work that has gone in preparing the players has been outstanding, so when the whistle goes on Sunday, we’ll be ready.”

The All Blacks and Australia will be playing their 173rd Test against each other. New Zealand has won 119 of those matches, Australia 45 with eight draws. The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003.

The All Blacks have scored 46 tries in five matches so far this year and are sharing the spoils: so far 18 players have scored tries this year.

Foster said the team was excited to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Perth this weekend.

“Perth has a great rugby culture, and we know that there are a lot of Kiwis living here who will be at the game, so can’t wait to hear their support on Sunday.

“Covid has again forced so many changes this year and we especially think of cities like Dunedin and Wellington that have lost Test matches they had hoped and planned for, so it’s great to be able to celebrate having this Test match here in Perth,” he said.

The matchday 23 is (Test caps in brackets):

1. George Bower (5)
2. Codie Taylor (60)
3. Nepo Laulala (33)
4. Brodie Retallick (85)
5. Scott Barrett (43)
6. Akira Ioane (6)
7. Dalton Papalii (7)
8. Ardie Savea – captain (52)
9. Brad Weber (10)
10. Beauden Barrett (93)
11. Rieko Ioane (39)
12. David Havili (7)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (51)
14. Will Jordan (6)
15. Jordie Barrett (27)
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (3)
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe (20)
18. Angus Ta’avao (18)
19. Tupou Vaa’i (4)
20. Ethan Blackadder (2)
21. TJ Perenara (70)
22. Damian McKenzie (32)
23. George Bridge (12)

All Blacks matches – Fortinet Rugby Championship – Round 1-6

All Blacks (57) v Australia (22), Saturday 14th August Eden Park, Auckland

Australia vs All Blacks – Optus Stadium, Perth – Sunday 5th September

All Blacks vs Argentina – CBUS Stadium, Gold Coast – Sunday 12th September

Argentina vs All Blacks – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – Saturday 18th September

All Blacks vs South Africa – Queensland Stadium,Townsville – Saturday 25th September

South Africa vs All Blacks – CBUS Stadium, Gold Coast – Saturday 2nd October

Shamrock Rovers Looking To Bounce Back Against Finn Harps

Shamrock Rovers are looking to bounce back from their FAI Cup exit with a win against Ballybofey’s Finn Harps on Friday night.

The defending SSE Airtricity League Champions were knocked out by Bohemians in the second round of the FAI Cup on Sunday.

The two sides were reduced to 10 men each after a scuffle between Bohs forward Georgie Kelly and Rovers captain Ronan Finn led to both players receiving their marching orders – Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley does not agree with Finn’s dismissal but says his side “have to accept it.”

Bradley reflected on the game and noted that he felt that it was a match of poor quality throughout.

“I thought it was a poor game in general,” the Rovers boss said. “It looked like we had come off the back of a hectic schedule.”
“In terms of our performance, we were nowhere near what our levels can be so we know we can perform better.”
Their opponents, Bohemians, sunk last year’s FAI Cup finalists with two fantastic goals proving to be too much for Rovers to handle.
Ali Coote scored a stunning free-kick from distance to put his side ahead that was momentarily cancelled out by Roberto Lopes in the 78th minute before Andy Lyons’ solo effort sealed the win for Bohs four minutes from time.
The side now set their eyes on Finn Harps as they are welcomed to Finn Park by the hosts for the second time this season.
The last visit to Donegal saw Bradley’s men leave with one clean sheet, two goals and three points and the 36-year-old will be looking for more of the same on Friday night.
Sean Hoare, Lee Grace, Sean Kavanagh and Neil Farrugia are all still unavailable for the Hoops and two unnamed players were looked at on Friday morning ahead of the game after suffering knocks.
Bradley was complimentary of Ollie Horgan’s Harps’ recent form after they beat St Patrick’s Athletic.
“I think Finn Harps are playing really well. I watched them against St Pat’s and they won the game quite comfortably and they were good against Derry as well.
“It’s a tough game but we’re looking forward to it. We’ve had a nice break after the game on Sunday which we needed to re-focus and get ready.”

Ireland U17 squad named for upcoming friendlies

Ireland Under-17 Head Coach Colin O’Brien has named a 20-man squad for two friendlies against Mexico in Turner’s Cross, Cork

A limited number of fans will have the chance to catch a glimpse of the next generation of Irish internationals with 600 free tickets made available for spectators.

It will be the final preparation for the U17s ahead of their UEFA Under-17 European Championship qualifiers which also take place in Cork in October.

O’Brien’s youngsters face North Macedonia, Poland, and Andorra in the first round of qualifiers but before that, they take on North American opposition.

Speaking ahead of the games, O’Brien said: “To get this level of opposition is a real huge plus for us.

“Mexico is a real powerhouse at this age group if you research and examine their age groups in the past couple of years they’re a World Cup standard team and that will the standard over the two games we will be playing.

“It’s a very ‘home-based squad’ and it’s the first squad we’re going to see around the Brexit situation but the players are well into their season and we’ve done a lot of home-based assessments and training camps over the last few months and a lot of games watched.

“We’ve 20 players ready to represent the Republic of Ireland Under-17s against high-level opposition so the players are going to be really tested here, both collectively and individually, and it will give them a good measure to where they’re at.”

 

Republic of Ireland Under-17 squad

Goalkeepers: Fintan Doherty (Derry City), Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers)

Defenders: Luke Browne (Shelbourne), Sam Curtis (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Cathal Heffernan (Cork City), Ruadhan Kane (Klub Kildare), Daniel Kelly (Sligo Rovers), Luke O’Brien (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Midfielders: Justin Ferizaj (Shamrock Rovers), Gavin Hodgins (Shelbourne), Darius Lipsivc (St. Patrick’s Athletic), James McManus (Bohemians), Rocco Vata (Celtic)

Forwards: Trent Kone Doherty (Derry City), Mark O’Mahony (Cork City), Caden McLoughlin (Villareal), Liam Murray (Cork City), Alex Nolan (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Franco Umeh (Cork City), Kevin Zefi (Inter Milan)

Fixtures – International Friendlies 

Sunday, 5th September

Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork, KO: 19:00

Tuesday, September 7

Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork KO: 12:00

Ireland U21 squad announced for European qualifiers

Republic of Ireland Under-21s kick-off their UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign in Bosnia & Herzegovina tomorrow

The match will take place in FF BH Football Training Centre, Zenica with Kristoffer Hagenes as referee.

Ireland will be looking to get off to a positive start at the FF BH Football Training Centre in Zenica with the game kicking off at 15.30, Irish time.

U21s Manager Jim Crawford said: “Bosnia are well organized with really good individuals but they’re physical.

“We’ve seen them in numerous games and in some games they’ve pushed on and pressed and other games they’ve dropped off so it will be interesting to see what they do. It will be a great challenge but one the players are up for.”

They are joined in Group F by Luxembourg, who they face on Tuesday, September 7, Italy, Sweden, and Montenegro.

Derry City’s Ronan Boyce was called up to the Under-21s to replace Cardiff City’s, Mark McGuinness.

Conor Coventry said: “We’ve got another really good Under-21s team here and we sat down and it is absolutely clear that we want to get to the European Championship Finals.

“We’re capable and when you see the quality in the squad it goes to show that the future is in good hands.”

Republic of Ireland Under-21 Squad

Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Bury Town, on loan from Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), Daniel Rose (Schalke 04).

Defenders: Ronan Boyce (Derry City), Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (Wolfsburg), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Celtic).

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Ryan Johansson (Fortuna Sittard, on loan from Sevilla), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Ross Tierney (Bohemians), Louie Watson (Derby County).

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa).

 

Fixtures

Friday, 3rd September

Bosnia & Herzegovina U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, FF BH Football Training Centre, Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina, KO: 15:30

Tuesday, 7th September

Luxembourg U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, Stade Jos Nosbaum, Dudelange, Luxembourg, KO: 15:00

Wexford Appoint Former Tipp Coach Egan As Senior Hurling Manager

Wexford GAA have appointed former Tipperary coach Darragh Egan as their new senior hurling manager.

The 35-year-old will replace Davy Fitzgerald in the role after the former Clare hurler left the job in July.

The appointment is on a two-year basis, with an option of a further year included.

Egan was a selector in Liam Sheedy’s backroom staff and was part of the coaching setup that won the All-Ireland with the Premier County in 2019.

The 35-year-old has also coached the Tipperary under-16 hurlers, a job he held previous to his role as selector.

Egan stepped away from his role with Tipperary when Liam Sheedy brought an end to his second tenure in charge of the 28-time All-Ireland champions.

The new Wexford coach has also won two All-Ireland titles as a player on the Tipperary and brings the 11 years of experience he has as a player to the Model County.

Egan’s role with his club Kildangan GAA has seen the side rise from the junior championship to become the county’s senior champions last year.

Wexford GAA Chairperson, Michaél Martin, in welcoming Darragh to the Wexford GAA fold, said:

“Our strategic plan, “Ar Aghaidh Linn le Chéile”, is the most ambitious plan ever launched in the history of Wexford GAA with clear and specific goals for on and off the pitch. We are conscious that the performance of our senior hurling team is a key element in the social wellbeing of our county.

Darragh Egan is a sharp, enthusiastic and energetic leader who understands performance at an elite level. He is process-driven and has a hunger for success. He has experience of leading in a high-performance environment and I have no doubt that he will bring a wealth of knowledge to Wexford hurling as we aim to take the next step on the journey to success.”

Top 5 Common Online Sports Betting Mistakes: And How to Avoid Them

Sports betting makes watching sporting events a lot more exciting, especially if you’re winning. There is something about taking a risk that makes the rewards so much sweeter, and punters have been chasing that sweetness since time immemorial. The trouble, of course, is losing. Losing is inevitable – it’s the nature of the game – but some losses can be avoided. You may not realise it, but there are several common betting mistakes that make your chances of losing much greater than they would normally be. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top five betting mistakes that you should avoid if you want to walk away with a win in your pocket.

Failing to Claim a Good Bonus

If you’re familiar with the world of online casinos, you’ll know that most sites offer players the chance to claim a casino bonus. Unfortunately, many of those sites only offer a bonus to casino game players and not to sports bettors. The mistake many punters make is to fail to shop around for an online casino that offers a sportsbook bonus. There are actually quite a few excellent sportsbooks out there that offer very generous bonuses to their punters. A good bonus can give you the head start that you need to begin building your bankroll. And if you’re a beginner, you can use your bonus to learn the ropes without having to pay for your mistakes.

Betting While Under the Influence

Who doesn’t like to enjoy a game of football with a beer in hand and a few backups chilling in the ice box? We get it, we know it’s part of the game. But if you’re placing bets, you need to be extremely clear headed in order to make informed choices. So, here’s the deal: don’t crack open your first bottle of beer until all your bets are placed. And make sure that before you take your first sip you have closed your sportsbook app and hidden it away so that you are not tempted to make any live bets while the game is on. Betting under the influence is a sure-fire way to blow your bankroll. 

Betting With Your Heart Not Your Head

Everyone wants their hometown team to win, right? It’s in our nature to support our team and want to show that support by betting on our team to win. But let’s get real. Some of us live in towns that just don’t produce the best football or hockey teams (or tennis players or golfers). And some of us live in towns that have fantastic teams, but those teams don’t always have a great season. Whatever the situation may be, our advice is to avoid betting on your home team because it’s almost impossible to be realistic about their chances of winning. Betting with your heart is a mistake, but it is easily avoided if you make it a point to never bet on sporting events that are too close to home. 

Too Many Bets

You will hear many experienced punters talking about the fact that successful sports betting usually comes down to making a lot of small bets over a long period of time. And while it certainly pays to spread your betting budget out over a number of bets rather than just chucking all your money at one event, there is a chance that you will end up making too many bets. The trick is to set a daily or weekly betting budget and stick to it like glue. Plan out your daily or weekly bets in advance so that you know exactly where your money is going, and if you win, don’t be tempted to blow it all on a betting whim.

Believing the Hype

Sport pundits like to talk the talk, but do they really walk the walk? In other words, pundits are highly likely to hype up the chances of a team or player simply to make a newsworthy headline. It is important to keep in mind that pundits are not necessarily sports bettors – they are not necessarily putting their money where their mouth is. Avoid falling for the hype by doing your own meticulous research before you place a bet.

Paralympic Cycling: Dunleavy and McCrystal win second gold medal

Day Ten in the Tokyo Paralympics was a very busy morning for the Team Ireland cyclists, taking part in four road events

Katie George-Dunleavy, Eve McCrystal – Women’s B Road Race

This has already been an amazing Paralympics for the Irish pair having won gold already earlier in the week. After hearing the national anthem while atop the podium, the two seemed excited to do it again.

This tough race set off at 05:00 this morning Irish time. Dunleavy and McCrystal showed their strength on the road in the time trial and this would be no difference and they continuously stayed near the top of the pack with its changing leaders and bursts from behind.

Just before the halfway mark of the 92.4km race, the Irish pair had themselves in a great position in the leading pack with the damp conditions not affecting them.

The race became more hectic in the final 12km lap. The Irish women were in the top three, competing with Team GB and the Swedish athletes.

They showed their true quality and fitness to break out in front over the last few kilometers. They brought the gold medal home in the Road Race with a time of 2:35:53.

This is now their third medal at these Paralympic Games and it marks them as one of the greatest tandem teams to compete in the sport.

Ronan Grimes – Men’s C4-5 Road Race

The Galway man was one of 25 riders in this long 92 km race. He came in this event searching for silverware with this being his third and final event.

Grimes’ race set off at 01:30 Irish time, with all racers going at a hectic pace to make it to the top and set the tempo.

As the race progressed, the Irishman had dropped to the back of the main group of riders, it was clear that this event is harder for cyclists without a partner from the same nation.

Grimes finished the race in 11th position with a time of 2:29:21

Richael Timothy – Women’s C1-3 Road Race

Timothy started only six minutes after Grimes’ event as she lined up with 14 other riders. This was the Irish woman’s fourth race at a busy Paralympics having broken personal bests in earlier events

Using some good riding, she remained off the top group of cyclists for the majority of the race. The tough wet conditions made it hard for each rider, making the race much more compact and steadier.

The 26-year-old finished the race in the 11th position with a time of 1:21:22.

Martin Gordon, Aidan Byrne – Men’s B Road Race

This was set to be a long and tough race for the Irish pair lining up against some top-class opponents. This would be the pair’s fourth and final event at these Paralympic Games.

Unfortunately, today was not going to be the glory finish for the Irish tandem team as the weather conditions continued to get worse. The heavy downpour of rain led to Gordon and Byrne withdrawing a little over two hours into the race.

It is not the ending that the Sligo and Dublin men would have wanted but they leave these Games after breaking personal best times and setting a new Irish record.

 

Paralympic Swimming: Ireland’s last swimmer misses out on final

Team Ireland’s final swimmer took to the pool of the Tokyo Aquatic Centre early morning on Day Ten of Tokyo 2020

Patrick Flanagan – S6 100m Backstroke Heat 2

This is Flanagan’s second race of his debut Paralympic games. Yesterday he finished in seventh place in the 400m Freestyle.

This morning, the Sligo man was hoping to build on that performance in the Backstroke. After watching a very strong opening heat, Flanagan would take part in the second race.

The Irish swimmer started the race in the water in lane seven with six other very strong swimmers. The outside lanes are normally the hardest places to start a race and he struggled to keep up with the leaders in the beginning.

Flanagan started to speed up before the only turn and he jumped up to fifth place. He held his position for the remainder of the race, not able to find the extra gear needed to scare the event favorites.

The Irishman hit the wall in a time of 1:26.81, this was unfortunately not enough for him to progress to the finals later today.

The end of the event concludes Flanagan’s Paralympic journey in Tokyo but as a young debutant, he still has many years ahead of him and Paris is only three years away.

He has done his coach David Malone and the people of Rosses point proud with two strong races as part of a historic Irish Paralympic team.

Paralympic Canoe: O’Leary wins B final for ninth place finish

Team Ireland’s leading Paralympic canoer was back in action on the morning of Day Ten of Tokyo 2020 in his first semifinal

Pat O’Leary – Men’s 200m KL3 semifinal

This is Pat O’Leary’s third race at the Paralympic Games. His journey began yesterday as he competed well in two opening heats, the Va’a and the Kayak.

He finished in fifth place in his heat for this event the last day but knows he will need to kick it up a notch to qualify for the final. The 48-year-old will want to improve on his best Paralympic result after finishing in sixth place overall in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

He started this short, fast race in lane three with five other racers. The top three racers would qualify for the A final while the next three would to put in the B final.

The race got off to a hectic start with each paddle forcing the water back and the kayaks glided over the water. O’Leary maintained a strong speed that kept him in touching distance with the fastest racers.

Unfortunately, the Cork man’s impressive performance was not enough to qualify for the A final only half a second behind Germany’s Tom Kierey.

He finished in fourth place with a time of 42.203 and would go into the B final.

There was very little turnaround between the semifinals and finals. Only an hour later, O’Leary lined out in lane four as one of the fastest competitors in the race.

He finished this race in a time of 42.416 seconds and this meant that he finished in an overall position of ninth for the kayak event.

It was a good day for O’Leary but he will hope to go one step further as he goes into the Va’a semifinals tomorrow morning.

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