Northern Ireland’s Under-21s will play without fear when taking on Germany in a Euro qualifier later today.
That’s the promise of U21s boss Tommy Wright ahead of the clash at The Oval in east Belfast.
He said the integration of younger players across all Northern Ireland squads had brought a freshness to the ranks.
“There’s no fear with young players, and they have nothing to fear against Germany,” he insisted.
Wright continued: “People will look at the German side, look at where all their players are playing and the cost of some of their players. However, reputations don’t win football matches. You have to go out and perform
“I think if we can give a level of commitment, in terms of how we have defended against teams that are supposedly better than us, we can get a result. The players will go into the game with no fear. The age factor helps them do that.”
Germany are the top seeds in Group F in the 2025-27 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying group stage.
But they currently sit third in the table behind Greece (two wins from two) and Northern Ireland, who began their qualification campaign with an excellent 1-1 draw against second seeds Georgia last month and a 2-0 home win over Malta last Thursday.
Germany started their campaign with a 5-0 home victory against Latvia in September, however they were beaten 3-2 at home by the Greeks on Friday night.
Wright further pointed out: “If we work hard and work off a shape then we think we can cause them problems. We need to give a 90-plus minutes performance. You can’t relax.
“If there’s concentration, discipline, and we play with confidence and bravery when we get the ball then hopefully we can make it a difficult night for them.
“I don’t think our players will have many nerves. We will encourage them to go out and play with a bit of freedom and enjoy the experience of testing themselves against really good players.”
He explained Northern Ireland had nearly 70 per cent possession against Malta but he expects the Germans to have more of the ball than his team at The Oval.
The Germany U21s squad features several players who ply their trade in the Bundesliga.
They include Mainz striker Nelson Weiper, Heidenheim midfielder Paul Wanner, Hoffenheim midfielder Muhammed Damar and Borussia Monchengladbach defender Lukas Ullrich.
Another player worth watching is striker Nicolo Tresoldi, who plays for Brugge in Belgium’s top flight.
This evening’s U21 Euro 2027 qualifier between Northern Ireland and Germany at The Oval kicks off at 5.30. Tickets are available at irishfa.com/tickets.
The game is also being shown live via the BBC Sport NI website.
