Northern Ireland v Belarus (15/11/2024)

It’s fair to say that the players are feeling very positive ahead of our final games of the year.

The victory against Bulgaria in Belfast last month was excellent. We played some great football and scored some fine goals. And the atmosphere in the stadium was electric. We are not going to win every game 5-0, however a result like that certainly provides a huge confidence boost. Over the past 12 months we have enjoyed solid home victories against Denmark, Luxembourg and Bulgaria. The performances in all of those games were really good, and I believe good home form is a must in any qualification campaign if you want to make an impact in your group. Another home win tonight would move us a step closer to winning League C Group 3 and getting promoted to League B for the next edition of the Nations League. The situation is in our hands. We want to progress and get to the next level of Nations League football. Reaching that next tier of international football would see us compete and test ourselves against the teams you have to finish ahead of if you’re going to qualify for major tournaments. With that in mind, we will be aiming to take the game to the Belarusians tonight. It was frustrating to come away from our match against Belarus in Hungary last month with only a single point. We dominated the ball for long spells and created plenty of chances. Tonight the players will be striving to once again create opportunities – and to be more clinical in front of goal. Belarus are very much focused on the team collective. They have not lost a game in the group to date - one win, three draws - and I

expect them to be strong defensively, just like they were last month. They have experienced players who know how to soak up pressure and carve out chances on the counter attack. In the game in Hungary I was pleased with our build-up play and the players’ willingness to get on the ball and make things happen. I was also pleased with our clean sheet at the ZTE Arena and our clean sheet against Bulgaria last month. Naturally, I will be looking for another shutout tonight. A win in our last home fixture this year would give us 10 points in League C Group 3. And another victory would also give us great momentum going in to our game away to Luxembourg on Monday. If we win that one then we are guaranteed to top the group. I am delighted that tonight’s game will be played in front of a packed National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. At one stage it looked like we may have to play this ‘home’ game at a neutral venue, with a limited number of supporters cheering us on. I think that would have been unfair on both our players and fans, so well done to those who worked hard behind the scenes to make this game in Belfast happen. The atmosphere in the stadium during the Bulgaria match was superb and hopefully the players will be able to spark a similar atmosphere with another high intensity performance against Belarus.

Enjoy the game! MICHAEL O’NEILL NORTHERN IRELAND MANAGER

IRISHFA.COM

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