Northern Ireland senior women’s team manager Michael McArdle believes his side can cause an upset against Portugal later today.
Larne’s Inver Park is set to host a FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers round one play-off – the first of two legs – between the two countries and Northern Ireland go in to the game as underdogs.
Portugal are currently in 22nd position in the FIFA Coca-Cola Women’s World Rankings compared to Northern Ireland in 50th.
And Portugal topped their League B group in stage one of the European Qualifiers, winning five out of their six games, while Northern Ireland finished third in their League B group behind Switzerland and Turkiye.
But McArdle believes his team can get a positive result in Larne (19.00 kick-off) to take into the second leg in Portugal on Tuesday.
The Northern Ireland boss said: “We know this will be a tough test for us as our opponents are placed much higher than us in the world rankings.
“But we like to punch above our weight and when such obstacles are put in front of us we believe we are more than capable of dealing with them.
“We respect and admire the accelerated growth Portugal have had over the past five-plus years, however we are really looking forward to putting ourselves toe-to-toe against them.
“We know areas where we can hurt Portugal. If we follow the gameplan then I believe we will get a positive result.”
Northern Ireland go in to the game missing several experienced players. Nadene Caldwell, Caragh Hamilton, Joely Andrews, Megan Bell, Danielle Maxwell and Kelsie Burrows are all out due to injury.
McArdle pointed out: “Although we are missing several experienced players, we still have plenty of players to call upon who have numerous international appearances, play-off and major tournament experience under their belts. It is important to have a good balance of experience and youth.
“We are genuinely excited about our squad. We’ve got players playing in the WSL and WSL 2 in England as well as players in the likes of Czechia and Switzerland. And there are players performing consistently at a high level on the domestic front as well.
“This first leg and next week’s second leg against Portugal are a first step towards playing at a World Cup (in Brazil). We are fully focused on these games, starting with this match in Larne.
“We know the World Cup is a dream, however we want to get there and we'll do everything we can to do just that.”
Like Northern Ireland, Portugal’s squad is a blend of youth and experience, although the emphasis is on experience.
Galatasary defender Carole Costa (36) has earned 191 caps for her country, scoring 25 goals, and 35-year-old Levante midfielder Dolores Silva has 183 caps and 19 goals.
Juventus midfielder Tatiana Pinto (32) has scored eight times in 137 appearances for Portugal, Galatasary striker Jessica Silva (31) has 20 goals and 135 caps and the 100-plus club also includes 30-year-old Benfica midfielder Andreia Norton (102 caps, five goals), Porto midfielder Fatima Pinto (aged 30, 102 caps, five goals) and Galatasary goalkeeper Patricia Morais (34) on 104 caps.
And even some of the younger players in the Portugal squad have tons of international experience. They include Real Madrid midfielder Andreia Jacinto (24) with 62 caps and one goal, Sporting forward Telma Encarnacao (aged 24, 44 caps, eight goals) and midfielder Andreia Faria. The 26-year-old, who plays her club football with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has scored three goals in 43 appearances for her country.
Tickets for the game at Inver Park are still available at irishfa.com/tickets.
