Northern Ireland play host to Switzerland at Windsor Park on Wednesday night in their fourth 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
Ian Baraclough’s side sit fourth in the Group C table, three points off Switzerland who are in second – a draw will take Northern Ireland up to third and a win will propel them to second in the table.
Switzerland need a win to keep the pressure on group leaders and European champions Italy, who are four points ahead of Xhaka and co. with two more games played.
The Swiss are still unbeaten in the group and will look to extend that streak with a result against the Green And White Army.
However, Northern Ireland will have the advantage of fans on their side at the Belfast venue.
Changes are expected to be made to the Northern Ireland that beat Estonia in a friendly at the weekend thanks to a Shane Ferguson screamer.
They will still be without Leicester City’s Jonny Evans as he continues to recover from a foot injury.
Winger Jordan Jones is suspended and will miss the clash against Switzerland as a result.
Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell will retain his starting position while the duo of Shane Lavery and Conor Washington is expected to appear.
Switzerland will have every player in their squad at their disposal for the upcoming match.
However, four of their players picked up a yellow in the draw against Italy on Sunday and will need to tread carefully to avoid suspension.
Predicted Lineups
Northern Ireland (3-5-2): Peacock-Farrell; Ballard, Cathcart, Brown; Smith, McCann, Davis (C), Thompson, Lewis; Washington, Lavery.
Subs: Bradley, Flanagan, Saville, McGinn, Lafferty, Ferguson, Carson, Charles, Jones, White, McCalmont, Hazard.
Switzerland (4-3-3): Sommer; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Freuler, Frei, Zakaria; Vargas, Seferovic, Fassnacht.
Subs: Garcia, Zeqiri, Steffen, Mvogo, Zuber, Sow, Lauper, Lotomba, Aebischer, Kobel, Schar, Zesiger.
Odds
Northern Ireland 5/1
Draw 11/4
Switzerland 4/7
Where To Watch
The match will kick-off at 7:45 pm and will be available to watch on Sky Sports Football with coverage starting at 7 pm.
