Northern Ireland vs San Marino Predictions, Odds & Sports Betting Tips 14/10/2023

Northern Ireland’s dismal Euro 2024 qualifying campaign returns to Belfast on Saturday, as they face group whipping boys San Marino in a game with very little riding on it. 

Both sides are already out of contention so only have pride to play for, but you can still enjoy the game thanks to our exclusive betting bonus tip. This prediction has been put together by our sports betting writers and aims to give you a great betting boost for the game. 

At the start of the qualifying campaign, hopes were high that Ireland could mount a serious challenge for a place at Euro 2024. Unfortunately, five defeats in a row have put paid to those hopes. Worst of all, most of those defeats have seen Ireland perform well below their capabilities and manager Michael O’Neill is under increasing pressure as speculation mounts on his future.

As the perennial whipping boys of European football, San Marino come into this game with absolutely zero expectations. Remarkably, they have never won a competitive game and it is 19 years since they won a match of any description.

The only minor plus points for San Marino in recent years have been 0-0 Nations League draws with Gibraltar and Lichtenstein. After six games of qualifying, their record stands at zero goals scored and 21 conceded. Most alarmingly of all, it is over two years since they scored a competitive goal.

Head to Head

Northern Ireland have won all five of their encounters against San Marino without conceding a goal. The two sides last met on matchday one of qualifying, with Ireland emerging 2-0 winners thanks to a brace from Dion Charles.

Our Betting Tip for Today

A look at the latest betting odds for the game shows that Ireland are huge favourites for the game at 1/40. The draw is available at 33/1, with the odds on a shock San Marino win as high as 100/1.

We’re not going to insult your intelligence by telling you to back an Ireland win, and we’re certainly not going to advise placing a bet at 1/40. Instead, it is worth looking at the handicap markets for the game, especially as Ireland are not a team prone to scoring many goals.

You can currently get 3/1 on San Marino winning with a three goal head start. Given that Ireland won the return fixture 2-0, this seems like a very solid bet and one that can add some excitement to an otherwise drab looking contest.