Michael ONeill has no must-win mantra but Northern Ireland know Slovakia result is vital

Northern Ireland take on Slovakia in their World Cup Qualifier at Windsor Park on Friday night and a win is vital for Michael O’Neill’s side

Michael O’Neill has stopped short of labelling Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovakia as a must-win game, but he acknowledges that his Northern Ireland squad understand the significance of securing a positive result.

Following a win in Luxembourg and a loss to Germany in Cologne during September’s away double-header, Northern Ireland are now preparing for consecutive matches at Windsor Park, with the Germans set to visit on Monday.

These fixtures could prove pivotal for their Group A campaign, particularly Friday’s match against Slovakia. The latter, initially seen as rivals for second place, are currently leading the group after a 2-0 victory over Germany in their opening game last month.

“I wouldn’t say (it’s must-win) necessarily,” O’Neill stated. “We have to try and win our home games and this is our first home game, so from that perspective it’s a very, very important game.

“But we still have three games left and we’ve already seen different results. Slovakia had a tough game in Luxembourg (a 1-0 win secured with a last-minute goal) for example.

“I don’t like putting any kind of ‘must-win’ into a situation because the players know the significance of the game without me having to say that.”

O’Neill’s preparations have been bolstered by the return to fitness of several players this month. He hopes this added strength in depth will make a difference, especially considering fatigue was a factor in last month’s 3-1 defeat to Germany, who netted two quick goals after Northern Ireland held their own for the majority of the match.

Defender Daniel Ballard is amongst those returning to the fold after coming off the bench in Sunderland’s last three matches following a groin problem.

“I feel really good at the minute,” the 26 year old said. “I’ve had to be patient in the last few games but I’ve got some good minutes and have been eased back in quite nicely. I feel fit and ready to go.”

Ballard is amongst just five players in the current squad who featured the last time Slovakia visited Windsor Park, when they defeated Ian Baraclough’s team in extra-time during a Euro 2020 qualifying play-off final.

The Northern Ireland side on that occasion featured Steven Davis, Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas, Craig Cathcart and Niall McGinn among others – a stark contrast to the youthful makeup of today’s squad, where 14 of the 27 players are aged 25 or younger, with 10 possessing fewer than 10 caps.

“I was fortunate to be around that squad as players were retiring after the success they had,” Ballard said. “Obviously it’s a lot younger now. We went through a few years where it was quite tough, we had a lot of tough results.

“But looking around the team now I can see a lot of progression, the boys are getting a lot of caps and it feels familiar.

“There was a period where we played with different players, different positions, different formations, but now I feel we’re quite settled and we’re a lot more confident going into games.”