We have reached the final stages of qualifying for the delayed 2020 European Championship. On Thursday the 12th of November we have a meeting between Northern Ireland and Slovakia at Windsor Park, with the winner earning a place in the tournament.
Despite the current pandemic, there will be 1,000 fans in attendance at the game which provides a small boost to the hosts.
Northern Ireland qualified for this game by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina via a penalty shootout in Sarajevo. Having been put under pressure early in the game, Northern Ireland fell a goal behind after 13 minutes.
It appeared as though it was going to be a difficult night but having held out until half time without conceding another goal, Northern Ireland came back into the match in the second half and scored the equaliser on 53 minutes.
Neither team could add to their single goal and the match went to a penalty shootout, with Northern Ireland holding their nerve to secure an impressive victory.
However, considering the match ended 1-1, trends show Northern Ireland have failed to win any of their last 7 games in all competitions. They have lost their 2 most recent fixtures in the Nations League against Austria and Norway but those games came after the match in Bosnia.
Northern Ireland have failed to win any of their last 4 home games and have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 4 of their last 5 in Belfast.
Slovakia met Republic of Ireland at home in their playoff game. It was a disappointing match in terms of quality and it was little surprise to see the game end 0-0 after extra time. Slovakia were the team who kept their composure in the penalty shootout and Republic of Ireland missed two of their four penalties to hand victory to the hosts.
Much like the upcoming opponents, Slovakia then went on to lose both of their Nations League fixtures, with defeats coming away against Scotland and at home against Israel. Considering the 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland, Slovakia have failed to win any of their last 5 games in all competitions.
Trends show Slovakia have remained undefeated in 3 of their last 5 away matches. They have scored at least one goal in 4 of their last 5 on the road and seen under 2.5 goals in each of their last two.
Team news and Northern Ireland can call upon the experienced trio of Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart, and Stuart Dallas in defence. Captain Steven Davis will play in central midfield.
Slovakia have Milan Škriniar of Inter Milan and Peter Pekarík of Hertha Berlin in their defensive ranks. However, there are doubts over the inclusion of the former due to travel restrictions from Italy. The experienced Marek Hamšík will play in central midfield along with Stanislav Lobotka of Napoli.
If Slovakia are forced to play without Škriniar it will come as a huge blow to their chances of winning this match. We are likely to see under 2.5 goals scored in what is set to be a tense night of football. It would not be a surprise to see this one end level with the possibility of a penalty shootout.
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