Michael O’Neill is confident his players can get “the right start” when they take on Luxembourg in their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier tonight.
The game at Stade de Luxembourg (7.45 kick-off BST) is part one of a double header which will also see O’Neill’s team take on Germany away on Sunday.
Northern Ireland are missing half a dozen players who are either regular starters or regular squad members.
But the Northern Ireland senior men's team manager believes he still has the personnel to get the win in the Group A clash against Luxembourg.
He said: “We're looking forward to the game. It's been a challenging build-up with the players that we have missing. You always, as a coach and the manager, want the team to be as strong as possible, the squad to be as strong as possible, to deal with two games away from home.
“We've had to call up some younger players, or some players that haven't maybe been around the squad for a while. But I think we're as strong as we can be, and I believe that we're ready to take on the challenge.”
He explained the players are “very focused” on getting off to “the right start” in four-team Group A, which also features Slovakia, who play Germany at home tonight.
O’Neill further pointed out: “We're missing some players that are playing at a good level in the Championship and we've replaced them with players that are maybe playing a little bit lower down, but that's the options we have.
“We have to make sure when the players come in that they're ready to play, that they feel part of things. When anyone puts on a Northern Ireland shirt we ask them to play and punch above their weight. And I think the lads that we have in this group are capable of doing that.”
Luxembourg are familiar opponents. Northern Ireland defeated them 2-0 at home and drew 2-2 away as they won their UEFA Nations League C group last autumn.
O’Neill says they are a decent footballing team with several players who operate at a good level in good clubs across Europe.
They also have a new manager in Jeff Strasser and he believes the Luxembourg players will be out to impress him.
Fifty-year-old Strasser, a former Luxembourg international who earned 98 caps between 1993 and 2010, was only appointed last month after long-serving national team manager Luc Holtz departed for pastures new.
Luxembourg are likely to have a strong, experienced spine as they embark on a journey which they hope will take them to the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and USA next summer.
Captain and defender Laurent Jans, who plays his club football with Leveren in Belgium, is a calming influence in the Red Lions’ backline. The 33-year-old has won 114 senior international caps since 2012.
The defence also usually features Dirk Carlson (27) who has made 64 appearances for his country. Carlson’s club is Austrian second tier outfit St Polten.
Striker Danel Sinani, who plays for St Pauli in Germany’s Bundesliga, has earned 73 caps, scoring on 14 occasions. And goalkeeper Anthony Moris (35), who is with Al-Khaleej in Saudi Arabia these days, also has 73 caps.
Another player who plies his trade in Germany, Greuther Furth midfielder Mathias Olesen (30 caps, one goal), drives the Red Lions forward along with Spartak Moscow midfielder Christopher Martins (75 caps, one goal). Also in the engine room is Leandro Barreiro of Portuguese kingpins Benfica (64 caps).
Up and coming talent in their ranks include Benfica midfielder Tomas Cruz (20) and 21-year-old winger Yvandro Sanches. Cruz has seven caps, while Sanches has made 26 senior international appearances and scored on three occasions. He plays for Heracles in the Dutch first division.
The game is being shown live on BBC One NI, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer plus the BBC Sport website and app.
