Preview:Republic of Ireland vs Armenia - prediction, team news, lineups

The Republic of Ireland and Armenia could both officially be eliminated from first-placed contention in World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group F on Tuesday evening.

The Boys in Green were condemned to a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Portugal on matchday three, while their visitors were no match for Hungary at the weekend.

Match preview

The luck of the Irish seemed to be in at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday evening, as with 15 minutes of normal time to play, the outstretched leg of Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher incredibly kept out a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

However, there would be one cruel twist to the tale for Heimir Hallgrimsson's men, as in the first minute of second-half injury time, Ruben Neves connected with a Francisco Trincao cross and headed home a dramatic winner for the Selecao.

As applaudable as Ireland's efforts were in Lisbon, the harsh reality of the situation is that the Boys in Green remain winless in Group F, have taken just one point from nine on offer, and are rooted to the bottom of the standings at the halfway point.

Even if Ireland can prevail at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, their hopes of automatic qualification for the World Cup will be extinguished if Portugal defeat Hungary, although the playoff race is still very much on for Hallgrimsson's hopefuls.

If the Irish are to force their way into second place, though, they will have to defy a wretched run of form that has seen them fail to win any of their last five games in all competitions - a sequence that includes a defeat to Tuesday's visitors.

Armenia's only success in the section so far came in a 2-1 beating of Ireland last month, a result that both preceded and succeeded demoralising defeats for the Havakakan, who are yet to qualify for the World Cup as an independent nation.

Tuesday's visitors were humiliated by Portugal 5-0 first up before succumbing to a 2-0 loss to Hungary on matchday three, as second-half goals from Daniel Lukacs and Zsombor Gruber did the damage at the Puskas Arena.

As a result, the side led by Eghishe Melikyan - who only took over in August - have dropped to third place in the section, and their wafer-thin hopes of topping the group will also be over if Portugal beat Hungary and they fail to overcome Ireland.

That scenario is perhaps expected for a nation who have only won two of their 11 internationals since November 2024, and one that have also conceded at least one goal in each of their last 34 matches in all competitions, although there are no prizes for guessing who their last clean sheet came against.

Indeed, Armenia most recently celebrated a shut-out in a 1-0 Nations League win over Ireland in June 2022, but the Boys in Green have prevailed in both of their meetings in home soil, most recently a 3-2 success later on in that Nations League campaign.

Republic of Ireland World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):

Armenia World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Armenia form (all competitions):

Team News

Saturday's game was one to forget for Festy Ebosele in particular, as the Ireland attacker was booked in the first half and came off injured in the second, although it is not known how serious his issue is.

Regardless, either Mikey Johnston or Kasey McAteer should be on standby to replace Ebosele, and Hallgrimsson will also have to work around the absence of Josh Cullen, who is suspended for an accumulation of bookings.

Jack Taylor and Will Smallbone will fight for the right to replace Cullen in the engine room, while Troy Parrott - who scored a terrific 10 goals in eight games for AZ Alkmaar this season before a knee injury - might be in with a chance of displacing Evan Ferguson up front.

As for Armenia, Melikyan is expected to be working with the same group of players from Saturday's loss to Hungary, with no fresh fitness concerns or withdrawals to report on.

The bulk of the visitors' talents ply their trade in their homeland, although striker Grant-Leon Ranos represents German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, while Lucas Zelarayan turns out for Argentinian side Belgrano.

The latter should start on the left of a front three spearheaded by captain Tigran Barseghyan, who is seeking his 10th goal for the national team.

Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; O'Brien, Collins, O'Shea; Coleman, Smallbone, Molumby, Manning; Ogbene, Johnston; Parrott

Armenia possible starting lineup:

Avagyan; Muradyan, Harutyunyan, Piloyan; Hovhannisyan, Iwu, Spertsyan, Tiknizyan; Serobyan, Barseghyan, Zelarayan

We say: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Armenia

Armenia may have recent when it comes to beating Ireland, but the visitors also have an appalling defensive record over the past three-and-a-bit years and will be clocking up the air miles ahead of a taxing contest.

While Ireland may be a little jet-lagged too, their defensive resilience against group leaders Portugal was something to behold, and we have faith in Hallgrimsson's side to get off the mark at the fourth attempt as they reignite their playoff charge.

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