Northern Ireland vs Norway - Northern Ireland can chase World Cup ticket - 7M sport

Northern Ireland vs Norway - Northern Ireland can chase World Cup ticket



Posted Sunday, March 26, 2017 by PA

Northern Ireland's players will begin to set their sights on World Cup qualification should they defeat Norway on Sunday, according to manager Michael O'Neill.

Victory over the Scandinavians in Belfast would move Northern Ireland to 10 points at the halfway stage and O'Neill sees that figure as a magic marker for his squad's attitude to reaching Russia in 2018.

"Once you get to double figures, then suddenly your mindset changes a little bit and you start to think about qualification as possibly a more realistic proposition at that time," he said.

"If you look at us in the previous (Euro 2016 qualification) campaign we won four of the first five and everyone starts to look forward to it. As long as you keep that momentum in the campaign, it's not that difficult for me to retain the focus for the players because we don't have a player in our squad that has been to a World Cup.

"I'm sure the experience they had in the summer, they would love to experience that again at the biggest tournament of all. I suppose that's all we need in terms of a motivating factor."

The challenge posed by Norway appears more difficult than it did a few weeks ago, before the experienced Lars Lagerback took charge, Lagerback has previously guided Sweden to five successive major tournaments and led Iceland to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

O'Neill concedes they now represent something of an unknown quantity given the change of manager, and with four players missing from their last starting XI, though he does not believe it will be a battle of wits between the two bosses.

"I would expect to see a lot of British-based players in Lars Lagerback's starting XI, just in terms of their readiness to play," O'Neill said.

"We think we have a fair idea of how they'll play.

"I don't think the game will be decided because of anything tactical. I think it will be a very British game and decided by who on the day maybe wants it more.

"We have to really make sure that in terms of what we put into the game, it's everything that we have. The tactical side of it will not necessarily be the determining factor in the game."

O'Neill's options for the contest have been reduced by injuries. Both Corry Evans (groin) and Aaron Hughes (calf) have been ruled out and Josh Magennis, who was absent from training too, is rated "extremely doubtful" because of a hamstring problem.

England's nemesis Lagerback will try to bring footballing pride back to the country considered the happiest in the world.

The 68-year-old takes charge of Norway for the first time this weekend and arrived in a sunny Belfast beaming about the very "non-British weather" across the water from the nation whose footballing dreams he dashed in the summer.

It was Lagerback's Iceland who ended England's run at Euro 2016, and subsequently Roy Hodgson's reign, to improve his unbeaten record against the country to seven games including his time with Sweden.

It is another of the home nations who occupy Lagerback's thoughts this weekend as he tries to plot the downfall of Northern Ireland.

That does not seem to be depressing their inhabitants too much, though, as a United Nations study this week found people from Norway are the happiest on the planet.

When asked what he could do to make them even happier, Lagerback replied: "I don't think you should ask that question to me as a Swede!

"We met some supporters at London airport and some of them said to me, 'As long as you're winning, we are happy'. That is what football is about at this level - you need to win."

Four players who started Norway's last match are not in Belfast due to retirement, suspension or injury and their defensive resources have been stretched. However, Lagerback insisted Tore Reginiussen's absence from training due to a head injury was just as a precaution.



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