5 talking points ahead of Northern Ireland’s World Cup play-off
08 November 2017 20:57
Northern Ireland meet Switzerland in Belfast on Thursday in the first leg of a World Cup play-off that will determine whether they are in Russia next summer.
Michael O’Neill’s side have been pitted against the Swiss and will host them at Windsor Park before travelling to Basel ahead of the second leg on Sunday.
Here, we look at the talking points prior to the opening contest.
Northern Ireland have never been in a play-off scenario before and their squad lacks their Swiss counterparts’ continental club experience, meaning the majority of O’Neill’s team are not familiar with the two-legged format. Being at home first may suit his side, though, as their strengths suggest they would feel more comfortable defending a lead on their travels than attempting to overturn one at home. With this in mind, O’Neill must consider if he has to encourage his team to be more attacking than normal.
However O’Neill sets his team up, they will be led out by captain Steven Davis on his 100th international appearance. The Southampton midfielder will become just the third centurion in the nation’s history, following in the footsteps of Pat Jennings and Aaron Hughes. The 32-year-old has coveted little fanfare ahead of the landmark and has insisted the focus should be on the game itself. The best way for Northern Ireland’s talisman to mark the occasion would be to deliver a big performance on a grand stage.
A cautionary tale
Jonny Evans is one of eight places facing possible suspension for the second leg (Martin Ricketts/PA)Davis is also one of eight Northern Irish players walking a tightrope in that a yellow card in Belfast will rule them out of featuring in Basel. Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Oliver Norwood, Jamie Ward, Josh Magennis, Stuart Dallas and Chris Brunt are the others that have previously been booked, and it is conceivable that seven of that group could be selected to start by O’Neill. Northern Ireland simply do not have the depth to cope without some of those players in the second leg if they were to pick up another yellow card on Thursday.
Switzerland’s preparations have been hampered by Udinese trying to recall Valon Behrami due to a hamstring issue. Behrami is unlikely to feature in either game but the Swiss maintain he will remain with them, despite Udinese threatening legal action if he is not sent back to Italy. It must be an unwelcome distraction for coach Vladimir Petkovic on the eve of such a crunch clash.
Swiss mentality
Vladimir Petkovic will hope his side overcome the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification (Laurent Gillieron/AP)Petkovic also has to deal with the psychological impact of his team not yet booking their place in Russia. They won all nine qualifiers prior to meeting Portugal in the final group game last month, when a 2-0 win for the Euro 2016 champions saw them advance on goal difference. O’Neill believes missing out on qualification in such fashion despite that healthy haul will be mentally scarring. He has to hope his players, and the Belfast crowd, can heap on more misery.
