The Republic of Ireland are bidding to secure World Cup qualification for the first time since 2002.
It has been a long, long wait for the fans, and achieving the sought-after feat is not going to be easy this time around.
The UEFA play-offs represent the trickiest of qualification routes, and a semi-final trip to the Czech Republic is one assignment even the top nations would be wary of.
But Irish performances in the previous international break suggest that anything is possible on Thursday evening, in what should be the most hostile of Prague atmospheres.
Check out our full sports betting preview for Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland below, and we have picked out some handy tips based on NetBet’s latest football odds.
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland Preview
The last international break back in November was certainly one to remember from a Republic of Ireland perspective.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side looked down and out in terms of qualification for the play-offs, but pulled off two remarkable victories.
First was a 2-0 home win over Portugal, secured by two goals from star striker Troy Parrott.
And then the Irish went to Budapest and produced the most iconic of 3-2 triumphs over Hungary, with Parrott scoring a stunning hat-trick – the last of the goals netted in the 96th minute.
So even though a few months have passed since that night in the Hungarian capital, confidence levels in the squad must surely still be very high.
For the Czech Republic, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers were very hit and miss.
A 6-0 home over Gibraltar finished the campaign in style, but there were some very poor performances too – including a 5-1 loss in Croatia and the shock 2-1 defeat away at the Faroe Islands.
However, Czech Republic are unbeaten in their last 16 home matches across all competitions, a run which stretches back to September 2022!
Furthermore, the Czechs have conceded only one goal in the previous five home games, which only shines more light on the size of the Irish task here.
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland Odds
*All odds are subject to change
The Czech Republic are the favourites ahead of kick-off at a price of 1.89. A victory for the Republic of Ireland is at odds of 3.70, while the draw after 90 minutes is 3.12.
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland Betting Tips
Anytime goalscorer – Troy Parrott @ 3.50
As mentioned above, Parrott was the Irish hero the last time international football was at the forefront of the sporting world. And the striker has been in great form with AZ Alkmaar throughout the 2025-26 season thus far, scoring 28 goals in 41 games across all competitions – including 14 in 23 Eredivisie appearances. So backing Parrott to spread his wings in Prague could be a very profitable move to make, given the great price on offer.
Anytime goalscorer – Patrik Schick @ 2.75
But we really do fancy both teams to score in this match, a selection which is currently priced at 1.80. And Schick is a prime candidate to strike for Czech Republic, given he has 24 goals from just 50 appearances on the international stage. He also has nine Bundesliga strikes for Bayer Leverkusen this season, and arrives for the play-off fixture having netted a brace in last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Heidenheim.
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