Sport

Ireland v New Zealand: What time is the match, what TV channel can I watch it on and what are the odds?

Guinness Series 24/11/2013 Ireland vs New Zealand All Blacks Ireland's Rory Best gets past Luke Romano and Steven Luatua of New Zealand to score a try Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie

IRELAND lock horns with world champions New Zealand in a Test match on Saturday and we've put together a concise guide of everything you need to know.

Where is the match?

It’s in Chicago, USA, and will take place in Soldier Field, the 61,500-seater stadium which is home to NFL outfit, the Chicago Bears.

Soldier Field, Chicago, USA [©INPHO/Photosport/Andrew Cornaga]

Why is it in Chicago?

The match is part of 'The Rugby Weekend' which will also see the USA Eagles take on the New Zealand Maori on Friday, November 4 at Toyota Park.

When is the match?

Local kick-off time is 3pm, but since Chicago are five hours behind Britain and Ireland, it will start at 8pm GMT.

How can I watch it?

If you’re living in Britain, the match can be watched on BT Sport. If you’re living in Ireland, you’ll find it on Eir Sport. Find out how you can get access to BT Sport here and Eir Sport here. Alternatively, we'll be running a live blog right here on www.irishpost.co.uk, keeping you up to date with live build-up and play updates from 7pm.

What are the match odds?

Back-to-back World Cup winners New Zealand are clear favourites, with their general price being 1/33, meaning you’d have to risk £33 just to make £1. For the optimists, Ireland’s best price is currently 14/1, though that may fluctuate in the build-up. See all the odds here.

All Blacks' captain Richie McCaw lifts the Webb Ellis Cup [©INPHO/Dan Sheridan]

What do the experts say?

New Zealand legend Dan Carter believes Johnny Sexton is key to any Irish success.

“The accuracy of the kicking game is hugely important,” he told RTÉ. “Johnny Sexton is a fantastic, world-class player and the Irish team will need to count on his skills and his leadership throughout the game.”

According to Stuart Lancaster, the England manager when they beat the All Blacks 38-21, Ireland will hand challenges to New Zealand that they haven’t faced for a while, particularly in terms of the organisation, spacing and the width in the Ireland defensive line.

How will Ireland line out?

Here's the Ireland team to play @AllBlacks in Soldier Field #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/EYevwZv23w

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 3, 2016

Our prediction

This is the year of the underdog, as the locals can attest to – the Chicago Cubs have just won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, so there’ll be a spring in the step of many match-goers, many of whom may have Irish roots.

That said, this is New Zealand, and Ireland have never beaten them in 28 attempts dating back to 1905, so the logical prediction is for the clear favourites to win and win fairly comfortably. We predict a winning margin of over 10 points in favour of the All Blacks.