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Co-hosts Canada continue their World Cup preparations with a friendly against the Republic of Ireland at the Saputo Stadium in Montreal in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It will be the third World Cup that they have played in, and the first time they will play in back-to-back tournaments having also featured in 2022.
As for Ireland, they failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup and are instead looking ahead to the UEFA Nations League in September.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Canada vs. Republic of Ireland key stats
- Canada are unbeaten in seven games (W3, D4).
- Ireland have lost three of their last four away matches (W1).
- BTTS has not come through in both teams' previous two outings.
Canada vs. Republic of Ireland preview: Hosts to emerge victorious?
| Canada | vs | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | FIFA Ranking | 59 |
| Jonathan Osorio (90) | Most Caps | Seamus Coleman (80) |
| Jonathan David (39) | Most Goals | Troy Parrott (11) |
| 924 | Total Caps | 250 |
| 130 | Total Goals | 20 |
| 1 | Uncapped Players | 10 |
Canada are set to host the World Cup for the first time, alongside Mexico and the United States.
Having also qualified in 2022, this is arguably the country's best generation of players that they have ever had, headlined by top scorer Jonathan David and Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies among others.
The squad is led by an American in Jesse Marsch, but one who boasts plenty of top-level experience from his time in club football.
On home soil, they should be favourites to beat Ireland, especially considering they rank 29 places above them in the official FIFA world rankings.
The visitors suffered heartbreak in the World Cup qualification play-offs, as they were knocked out on penalties by the Czech Republic.
They have since picked themselves up with recent friendly wins against Grenada and Qatar, but Canada should provide a much sterner test.
Icelandic head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson continues to lead the team, who have now kept three successive clean sheets.
This friendly provides Hallgrimsson a chance to look at some new players, with as many as 10 that are uncapped in the Ireland squad.
Canada vs. Republic of Ireland form guide & betting tips
| Canada | vs | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
WWDDW |
Form | WLDWW |
| 7 | Goals For | 11 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 4 |
DDW |
Friendlies | DWW |
Whispers predicts: Canada 2-0 Republic of Ireland
Canada are 3/5 (1.60) favourites to win, but while we agree with the bookies, these odds are too short for us to back.
Instead, our first pick is BTTS – No at 8/11 (1.73), given it has come through in nine of Canada's last 10 games in all competitions.
In a similar vein, Under 2.5 goals at 4/5 (1.80) could also come through, having done so in eight of those matches.
Overall we are predicting a Correct score – 2-0 at 6/1 (7.00), a more ambitious punt that would replicate the scoreline of Canada's previous friendly against Uzbekistan earlier this month.
> BTTS – No at 8/11 (1.73) | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 2.5 goals at 4/5 (1.80) | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score – 2-0 at 6/1 (7.00) | Likelihood: Outsider