Euro 2016: Northern Ireland hoping teamwork can topple world champions Germany

Michael O'Neill's side will be hoping to avoid defeat and book their place in the knockout stage

O'Neill will look to pack men behind the ball at the Parc des Princes (Getty)

Football tournaments take on a life of their own, people within the bubble become detached from their normal lives and forget things like their wedding anniversary. Perspective disappears faster than the contents of a fan’s plastic beer glass. Reality is put on hold - though perhaps not as much at Euro 2016 as usual given the constant presence of armed police.

Even so, the pre-match press conferences for Northern Ireland’s match with Germany tonight took this alternative universe into a new dimension. First World Cup winner Mats Hummels, currently engaged in trading Borussia Dortmund for Bayern Munich, was asked if the German defence was concerned that ‘Will Grigg is on fire’. Then Michael O’Neill was asked if Brazil could learn anything from the Northern Ireland side he coaches - by a Brazilian journalist.

The enquiry was as indicative of the impact Northern Ireland have had at the tournament as the dire state of the Brazilian team, which has fired Dunga after going out of the Centennial Copa America at the group stage. O’Neill demurred from twisting the knife in the five-time World Cup winners’ wounds, but he could have pointed to his team’s togetherness and work-rate.

In this context it was perfectly normal that O’Neill should comment, later, that he had spotted weaknesses in the German side and thought his team could hurt them. To encourage him is the knowledge the Republic of Ireland took four points off Germany in qualifying and, said O’Neill, his namesake Martin had been giving him some tips on how it was done. The part of that advice Michael O’Neill was prepared to share was ‘to get as many men behind the ball as possible’.

That will not surprise anyone, least of all Germany, whose striker Thomas Muller said: "I don't expect it to be any goal bonanza. We have to be realistic. Northern Ireland will be thinking about defending until the final minute. They will have many players around the box."

Muller, and his fellow forwards, are under pressure to deliver a goal bonanza having failed to hit the net so far in the tournament - Germany’s two goals have come from a defender and a midfielder. They are also aware that to top the group - and avoid a probable quarterfinal with Spain - they are likely to need a better result against Northern Ireland than Poland achieve against Ukraine. That need may preclude Germany fielding a weakened team though their coaching staff have indicated some changes will be made.

Muller is yet to find the net at this tournament (Getty)

"In attack we have not had the goal success we want," Muller added. “From forwards that is what is expected and we are measured by our goalscoring abilities."

Northern Ireland will progress if they win, almost certainly progress if they draw, and may even progress even if they lose, as long as they keep the margin of defeat down.

"The Germans are a very strong team. We are aware that there are weaknesses in the German team," O'Neill said, highlighting the fact that Poland arguably had the better chances against Joachim Loew's side.

"We're a good counter-attacking team. No team is flawless and the Germans have proved they have flaws as well. There are opportunities there for us."

A win would be Northern Ireland’s most astonishing result since Gerry Armstrong stunned Spain in 1982 in a match so dramatic Jimmy Hill told viewers to 'knock on their neighbours' doors' to ensure they were watching it. A year later Billy Bingham’s team also beat Germany, but 'Norn Iron' have not done so since and have conceded three goals on average in the last four meetings.

The teams have not, however, met since 2005 (a 4-1 loss) and Hummels admitted, “ It's not a big surprise that we don't know that much about Northern Ireland, but British teams are often very similar in their style of play. We played Scotland and Ireland in the qualifiers and we saw how strong these teams can be physically, mentally and they play with passion."