Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill may rest stars
Michael O'Neill will wait for the outcome of Saturday night’s World Cup qualifiers before deciding whether to protect some of his Northern Ireland squad from a playoff ban.
O’Neill’s side head to Norway for their final Group C tie on Sunday evening with six players – captain Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Oliver Norwood, Josh Magennis, Jonny Evans and his brother Corry – on a yellow card.
Even before the match kicks off in Oslo, Northern Ireland could be guaranteed a place in the playoffs as one of the eight best runners-up if Greece and Bosnia fail to win their group games on Saturday.
Michael O'Neill will wait before deciding whether to protect some of his Northern Ireland team
The Norway clash could still be important in determining whether Northern Ireland are seeded, and avoid the more dangerous teams like Italy and Portugal.
O’Neill confirmed that he will assess the situation over the weekend before making a decision about resting any players carrying yellow cards.
‘We’re on a tightrope in terms of the bookings,’ he said after world champions Germany inflicted a second group defeat on Northern Ireland, winning 3-1 defeat in Belfast.
O’Neill’s side go to Norway with six players - including captain Steven Davis - on yellow cards
‘There were no bookings for either side and we’ll just have to evaluate the situation come Saturday night when everyone else has played. We’ll have to see what happens between now and when we play on Sunday.
‘I don’t have four players from Bayern Munich on my bench, I’m sure you’ve noticed that. It’s not that easy to rotate my squad as it is for some other managers. We can’t allow ourselves to field an inexperienced team and be beaten, and then suddenly lose out on goal difference.
‘There is a real importance to the result in Norway because obviously we want to go there and try and get three points, and we certainly want to make sure we’re not beaten. If we can get to 20 points it would be fantastic. If we can get to 22 points, even better.
Northern Ireland could be guaranteed a place in the playoffs if Greece and Bosnia fail to win
‘We are second and that won’t change, whatever happens on Sunday. The playoff game will take care of itself regardless of what happens in Norway, providing we’re in it.
‘Ultimately, whatever happens in the playoff, it’s a home and away tie. It’s a different scenario from qualification. If the result goes against us, I don’t think we would go into the playoff with any less confidence.
'Our confidence comes from the qualification campaign we’ve had more than anything else. Equally, it would be nice to go through this campaign and say Germany are the only team that has been able to beat us.’