Game one is a must win for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland kick-off their European Championship qualifying campaign against Estonia this week and it is already a must win before a ball has even been kicked.
A good start is a must
Northern Ireland were always going to find it tough to qualify for Euro 2020 but their task has been made even harder by being put in a group with both Germany and Holland. The other two sides in Group C are Belarus and Estonia.
It is the latter that Michael O’Neill’s side must beat at Windsor Park on Thursday night if they are to get the campaign off on the right foot.
When you look at the fixtures, Northern Ireland must be targeting maximum points at home against Belarus and Estonia and probably aim to be undefeated in the return matches against both nations.
They will be targeting Northern Ireland in the same way but given the improvements that have been made since Michael O’Neill took charge it is, perhaps, more realistic to think his side can cause a shock or two in this tough group.
High intensity football
The Nations League was not kind to Northern Ireland. Goals were hard to come by and defeats against Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina highlighted the problems Michael O’Neill will need to overcome if he is to steer the nation to a second international tournament in as many attempts.
They will need to come out with a fast pace on Thursday and make sure they assert themselves on an Estonia side that will be buoyed by a 1-0 win against Greece in the Nations League and a 3-3 draw with Hungry back in October.
Estonia will be relying on star forward Henri Anier, who plays his club football in South Korea, to score the goals if they are to cause an upset at Windsor Park, the 28-year-old has scored 13 times in 57 outings for his nation.
It will be all Whyte on the night
Northern Ireland have started to produce an exciting crop of young players that Michael O’Niell has been keen to bed into the team. He will be looking to his experienced campaigners like Leicester City’s Johnny Evans to be the back bone of the side but in exciting winger Gavin Whyte they certainly have some talent coming through.
The Oxford United wide man has been excellent in League One this season despite his side struggling at the foot of the table. His pace and dribbling ability has seen him complete more take-ons than any other League One player.
Paul Smyth is another youngster who has shown his ability already in the EFL. The striker, on loan at Accrington from QPR, has looked sharp during his spell at the Wham Stadium and he could offer Nothern Ireland an option off the bench.
Betting tip
With this result so important for the home side it is likely that they will try and boss the possession and use their pace to cause Estonia problems. Given that they face a difficult second half of the qualifying campaign, these games at the start will be key.
Therefore, going for Northern Ireland to win by two goals at odds of 10/3 could be a good a nice little earner and not that shocking either.
Post bet chat James's Tips:
Northern Ireland got their campaign off to a perfect start with a 2-0 win at Windsor Park