SM
Aarhus vs. Copenhagen: 17 hrs
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

5 talking points ahead of Northern Ireland's key clash with Switzerland

:Headline: 5 talking points ahead of Northern Ireland's key clash with Switzerland:
Ian Baraclough's side could go second in Group C.
Sports Mole

Northern Ireland host Switzerland in a crunch World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park on Wednesday.

After last week's win over Lithuania, the match gives Ian Baraclough's side the chance to move up to second place in Group C.

Here the PA news agency looks at five key talking points ahead of the match.

No revenge talk

Switzerland broke Northern Irish hearts with a controversial World Cup qualifying play-off win in 2017 (Nick Potts/PA)

Let's get this one out of the way. Any meeting with Switzerland brings back memories of 2017, when Corry Evans was wrongly deemed to have handled the ball and Ricardo Rodriguez scored the penalty which ended Northern Irish hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup. But though the topic has dominated much of the conversation in the build-up to the match, it is not one the players or coaches are interested in – captain Steven Davis said it would be a waste of energy and nothing more. Instead, they are focused only on what this match can do for their position in the group.

Build on Lithuania

Thursday's win in Lithuania has breathed life into Northern Ireland's qualifying campaign (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

Thursday's win in Vilnius was huge for several reasons. Baraclough's first competitive win inside 90 minutes breathed life into the qualifying campaign and put Northern Ireland within touching distance of the top two. They would perhaps rather have seen Jorginho score his penalty for Italy against the Swiss on Sunday, but even though that match ended goalless, Northern Ireland start the night three points behind Murat Yakin's side and with the chance to go above them.

Three on the bounce?

Results were slow to come for Baraclough early in his tenure, but there is a sense a corner has been turned this summer. After Shane Ferguson's thunderbolt made it two wins out of two this week, his side go into Wednesday's game having won three of their last four and both of their last two, having finally discovered their scoring touch. They last won three in a row in late 2019, when a run of four straight wins in Euro 2020 qualifying set them on their way to the play-offs.

More changes

Paddy McNair is suspended for Wednesday's match (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

Baraclough made nine changes for the Estonia match as he wrapped most of those who started against Lithuania in cotton wool. With Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis still missing, he can be expected to flip back to the side that started in Vilnius, but must decide how to replace Paddy McNair – who is banned after being booked on Thursday. Tom Flanagan may come in as a third centre-back, or Baraclough may change shape, ditching the 3-5-2 formation he has preferred in most competitive fixtures.

The fans are back

Northern Ireland fans will be back in numbers on Wednesday night (Niall Carson/PA)

Windsor Park should be back to something approaching its raucous best with 16,000 fans permitted to attend the match. It is more than 600 days since the national stadium was last full for a Northern Ireland match, with Baraclough yet to experience anything more than the 1,000 fans who attended last November's Euro 2020 play-off final against Slovakia. Windsor Park has been a vital fortress for Northern Ireland in recent years – can it be so again?

body check tags ::

amp_article__462657 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-09-07 17:31:04:
html db last update - 2021-09-07 17:07:54 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:
SF
Read Next:
Shane Ferguson insists Northern Ireland are ready for Switzerland challenge
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Ian Baraclough Paddy McNair Steven Davis Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Shane Ferguson insists Northern Ireland are ready for Switzerland challenge
Liverpool confirm Arne Slot appointment as new head coach
Hulkenberg openly supports Sainz joining Sauber-Audi

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Chelsea 'set asking price for defender ahead of transfer window'

1

C'

Premier League 2024-25 season: When does it start? When does it finish? Who are the favourites?

2

PL

Real Madrid midfielder 'set to miss Champions League final'

NEW

3

RM

Argentina omit 30-year-old attacker from provisional Copa America squad

4

AO

Man United 'willing to accept £34.2m offers for 32-year-old'

5

MU

Croatia name preliminary squad for Euro 2024 - Who makes the cut?

6

CN

Best Premier League goals of the 2023-24 season

7

BP

How Spurs could line up against Newcastle

8

HS

Preview: Newcastle vs. Spurs - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PN

Ligue 1 manager confirms interest in signing Man United defender

10

L1


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .