As they prepare to face Cyprus in the UEFA Nations League, Northern Ireland knows that they are now battling to avoid relegation to the fourth tier with kickoff at 4 pm.
After a draw with Italy in November, Northern Ireland supporters felt they had the right man in charge. However, collecting just one point from their next three games—against Greece, Cyprus, and Kosovo—has changed that perception.
The 3-2 defeat away at the latter brought calls for manager Ian Baraclough to depart his role. Baraclough spoke of a transitional period and new players requiring time to settle into the squad, but it will not distract from their efforts in those matches.
Northern Ireland was initially regarded as contender to top this group; however, Greece’s maximum haul has left the group to focus on trying to retain its third-tier status.
Cyprus will be happy to be level with Northern Ireland in their Euro 2016 Group C match, even though they are still awaiting their first goal in the competition. Although Kosovo and Greece beat Cyprus well, they earned a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland, considered their most notable result in over 15 months.
With the pressure on hosts France, Nikos Kostenoglou and his squad will relish the opportunity to try to inflict more misery on their opponents, which would even be achieved with a draw.
Both sides have two games against each other, ending in two draws. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Kosovo 3-2 Ireland
- Cyprus 0-0 Ireland
- Ireland 0-1 Greece
- Ireland 0-1 Hungary
Away
- Greece 3-0 Cyprus
- Cyprus 0-0 Ireland
- Cyprus 0-2 Kosovo
- Estonia 2-0 Cyprus
Northern Ireland Team News
Paddy McNair is unlikely to recover from an ankle injury in time for this match. However, several changes are still expected, with Conor Bradley and Dion Charles potential inclusions at right wing-back and in the attack.
Cyprus Team News
Konstantinos Laifis, who previously represented Cyprus at the 2016 UEFA European Championship, could be called up for the team’s upcoming fixture against Estonia. In this match, Sporting Kansas City youngster Marinos Tzionis may also get playing time on the left wing.
Prediction and Odds
Nevertheless, home advantage is likely to be a factor in Northern Ireland’s favor, and a single goal may be enough to buy Baraclough’s team a few more days in the competition.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
