Evans staying composed as play-off emotions rise
[O’neill] puts these motivational videos on – you feel yourself getting emotional.
“At various times over the week you can feel that emotion. I think playing for your country does that, and a lot of the lads have been playing together for years and have been through a lot together.”
Evans appreciates the reality that, as so often, Northern Ireland are underdogs. The last time the Irish were at a World Cup was in 1986, whereas Switzerland have been to the last three finals.
Switzerland’s modern pedigree extends to their Fifa ranking – 11th – and they won the first nine of their qualifiers in Group B, only to lose 2-0 against Portugal in the last game and drop into the play-offs on goal difference. The Swiss have recognisable talent in Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and the Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner. Their points total in qualification was higher than five of the group winners. They are the bookmakers’ favourites.
But Switzerland’s group was not terrifying and O’neill is hopeful that final game, the loss to Portugal, is still troubling them.
“To win nine games and miss out on automatic qualification is, I’m sure, not a particularly pleasant situation for a coach or a group of players to be in,” O’neill said, “their game against Portugal was almost a play-off.
“They are now in one with us. They have been very consistent, their strength is in the collective like us, they have a lot of good players, we know obviously of Xhaka, Shaqiri, [Haris] Seferovic.”
What O’neill also knows is that this is a 180-minute contest and that for all the possible milestones, tonight is not allor-nothing. Away goals count – after extra-time in the second leg – and there is the menace of yellow cards to consider.
Fifa have not cancelled bookings from qualification, which means Northern Ireland have eight players one card away from missing Sunday’s match in Basel. All five of O’neill’s likely midfield begin on a yellow. Switzerland have seven yellows, but only two of their possible starting XI have one.