Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg match preview
Northern Ireland finish their Group A campaign at Windsor Park on Monday, aiming to close out World Cup qualifying with a third sectional victory.
Michael O’Neill’s side cannot move out of third place but have already secured a World Cup play-off place via the Nations League, so there is still something tangible to play for.
Luxembourg arrive at the foot of the table looking for their first point of the campaign after five consecutive defeats.
The Red Lions have shown some promising moments in recent matches, but remain without an appearance in a major tournament in their history and will be underdogs in Belfast.
Northern Ireland have the best recent head-to-head record and have home-field advantage, which should give them the edge in a match that could be cautious at the start.
Expect a disciplined and patient display from the hosts as they look to break down a compact Luxembourg rearguard.
Team news for Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg
Northern Ireland will be without Dan Ballard (suspended) and George Saville (accrued reservations). Ciaron Brown should come in at defense alongside Paddy McNair and Ruairi McConville.
Conor Bradley should retain his place in midfield; Shea Charles and Ali McCann remain sidelined.
Luxembourg will again rely on Danel Sinani for goals, with Aiman Dardari providing support in the final third. Olivier Thill should keep his place after a good performance against Germany. Left back Florian Bohnert is suspended.
Expected line-ups for Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell; McConville, Brown, McNair; Hume, Bradley, Kelly, Devenny; Lyon, Charles, Price
Luxembourgish: Morris; Jans, Korac, Carlson, Veiga; O Thill, Martins, Olesen, Barreiro; Sinani, Dardari
How to watch Northern Ireland v Luxembourg: TV channel, online streaming
Northern Ireland v Luxembourg kicks off at 7.45pm UK time on Monday 17 November. Fans can watch the match on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer online.
The stats of the match Northern Ireland – Luxembourg
• Northern Ireland have won four of the last five meetings between the teams
• Northern Ireland are third in Group A with six points from five games.
• Luxembourg have lost their five qualifying matches and are last with zero points.
• Northern Ireland has not participated in the World Cup since 1986; Luxembourg has never qualified
• Dan Ballard and Florian Bohnert are suspended for this match
• Northern Ireland secure play-off place via Nations League
Prediction
Northern Ireland
1
–
0
Luxembourg
A close, low-scoring affair is most likely. Northern Ireland’s home advantage and recent superior record should be enough to secure a narrow victory.https://x.com/NorthernIreland/status/1989765632771199352
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