NI relish Nations League battles amid fears over play-off
NORTHERN Ireland discovered their Uefa Nations League opponents yesterday but questions are still being asked around their upcoming Euro 2020 playoff semi-final against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There remains the possibility that the clash could be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus crisis.
A number of contingency plans are being put in place ahead of this month’s games, with Michael O’Neill’s side due to face Bosnia at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica on Thursday, March 26.
The Bosnian government must make a call on that game and the Irish FA will take guidance from government officials in both the host nation and back home.
A Uefa source said: “The playoff games will go ahead but there are contingency plans to play them behind closed doors.”
Similar concerns surround the Republic of Ireland’s play-off with Slovakia in Bratislava.
If both Northern Ireland and the Republic win their respective play-off semi-finals, they will face off in an all-island battle at Windsor Park on Tuesday, March 31.
In yesterday’s Nations League draw in Amsterdam, Northern Ireland were placed in Group B1 alongside Austria, Norway and Romania, while the Republic of Ireland will face Wales, Bulgaria and Finland.
Currently, Northern Ireland, at 36th, are the second highest ranked of the four teams in their group in the Fifa world rankings, behind 26th-placed Austria but ahead of both 37 th-placed Romania and 44th-placed Norway.
The lowest-ranked team in the group, however, will bring one of Europe’s most feared marksmen in Borussia Dortmund’s teen phenomenon Erling Braut Haaland to Windsor Park.
The two highest-ranked Nations League group winners who do not either win their World Cup qualifying group or finish as runners-up will enter a 12-team play-off to secure the final three European places at the finals in Qatar.
The group matches will be staged this autumn via three double-headers.
The first set of matches will take place between September 3 and 8, with a further two games in the period from October 8 to 13 and the final matches from November 12 to 17.
Northern Ireland lost home and away to Austria in the inaugural competition last season, when Bosnia were also in the group. Norway and Romania were in the same qualifying group for Euro 2020 but did not make it beyond the group stage.
They finished third and fourth respectively behind group winners Spain and runners-up Sweden. Northern Ireland should have a new manager in charge by the time the games come around, with O’Neill stepping down after the Euro 2020 play-offs to devote his time to Stoke.
Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson, who attended the draw in Amsterdam, said: “We’re in with some strong opposition.
“We have faced all of these teams in fairly recent history, Romania en route to our Euro 2016 adventure, Norway in the 2018 World Cup campaign and Austria in the inaugural Nations League tournament.
“The more competitive football our men’s team get, the better, and I hope we start the campaign on the back of a summer being involved in Euro 2020.”
Wales and the Republic of Ireland will meet again after they were drawn in the same group.
Ryan Giggs’ men will take on the Irish in Group Four of League B. The sides met in the first competition, with Wales winning both encounters.