Northern Ireland will be hoping to complete the double against Slovakia in World Cup qualifying to put themselves in pole position and at least secure a play-off place in their penultimate Group A clash.
Michael O’Neill’s men beat Slovakia 2-0 in Belfast in the last round before losing 1-0 to Germany, leaving them in third place, three points behind leaders Germany and Slovakia.
While Northern Ireland could still earn a play-off place thanks to their UEFA Nations League standings, a win in Kosice would give them a great opportunity to ensure they do not need this fallback option, as they finish their Group A campaign at home to minnows Luxembourg.
As Germany travel to Luxembourg on Friday, group victory will likely lie beyond Northern Ireland, who will be relegated to third place if they lose and the four-time world champions avoid what would be a seismic defeat.
The prospect of winning the group is the motivation for Slovakia, who are aiming to reach the final for only the second time as an independent country, having last qualified in 2010.
Slovakia surprised Germany early in the qualifying campaign, handing Die Mannschaft their first ever away defeat in a World Cup qualifying match.
The previous defeat against Northern Ireland saw Slovakia lose their advantage over Germany in the standings, but a revenge against O’Neill’s side followed by an improbable away victory at Leipzig would see Francesco Calzona’s side win the group and seal qualification.
Having failed to win their Nations League group, victory over Northern Ireland is vital for Slovakia, whatever their direct qualification ambitions.
It’s a top-two finish or bust for Slovakia, who have not lost a competitive home match since a 1-0 loss to Portugal in September 2023 in Euro 2024 qualifying.
And O’Neill knows the challenge ahead in Northern Ireland is formidable.
“It’s a brilliant result for Slovakia and it probably gave them an advantage over us,” O’Neill told the Slovak Press Association during the win over Germnay.
“But we have to take that away. After beating them at home, we now have to take that away from them when we go to Kosice.
“It will also be a huge game for Slovakia, because they will believe that if they can beat us, they will go to Germany with the opportunity to top the group. It’s a huge motivation for them, so we have to be able to handle that.”
O’Neill is working to remove the need to rely on Nations League standings, adding: “I think a safety net is the best way to describe it. But make no mistake, we want to finish in the top two positions in the group. That was our ambition from the start.”
“We talked about it with the players – about how we would do it, what we thought we needed to do it. And we have the opportunity to do it.”
Team news for Slovakia vs Northern Ireland
Slovakia will be able to welcome back Stanislav Lobotka after his recent return from injury.
Northern Ireland have numerous injury problems, with first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles still unavailable. His brother Shea is missing from midfield with a hamstring problem.
Ali McCann is out with a broken arm, while Ethan Galbraith is banned.
Brodie Spencer is another absentee, but Liverpool defender Conor Bradley is back from suspension.
Predicted line-ups for Slovakia vs Northern Ireland
Slovakia: Dubravka; Gyomber, Skriniar, Obert, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Bero; Haraslin, Sagittarius, Schranz.
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell; Hume, Ballard, McNair; Bradley, Price, Saville, Devenny, Lewis; Marshall, Reid.
How to watch Slovakia vs Northern Ireland: TV and online streams
Slovakia v Northern Ireland kicks off at 7.45pm UK time. It will be broadcast on BBC Two in Northern Ireland. It will also be available via BBC iPlayer and on the BBC Sport website and app.
In the Republic of Ireland, the game will be broadcast on Virgin Media Two and will also be available via Virgin Media Player and the Virgin TV Go app.
Statistics for Slovakia vs Northern Ireland
- Slovakia and Northern Ireland have met six times. Slovakia have won three times, with Northern Ireland winning twice.
- Northern Ireland have never beaten Slovakia away.
- Slovakia are unbeaten in their last eight competitive international home matches.
- Northern Ireland are the only team to score against Slovakia in this World Cup qualifying campaign.
