The key talking points ahead of Northern Ireland’s clash with Bulgaria
Northern Ireland’s lack of goals was on stark display again in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Belarus.
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Northern Ireland continue their push for Nations League promotion when Bulgaria visit Windsor Park on Tuesday night.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the game.
Taking chances
It is absolutely nothing new to talk about Northern Ireland’s lack of goals but the issue was on stark display again in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Belarus, in which they dominated the first half and created chance after chance but came away empty-handed. Michael O’Neill went with Jamie Reid as his centre-forward and the Stevenage man got into several good positions, having a number of chances, but rust was showing after a blood clot delayed the start to his season and he was unable to convert. Lee Bonis made his debut off the bench but had limited time to make an impact. Will O’Neill change things up at Windsor?
Defensive solidity
As much as the problems persist up front, Northern Ireland have largely been keeping the back door closed, conceding only one goal in their three Nations League games so far, while also keeping clean sheets in two of their friendlies earlier in the year. For a defence that has lost Jonny Evans and Craig Cathcart, and was without the injured Daniel Ballard on Saturday, that is worth talking about. “We had a clean sheet against Scotland, we expected a clean sheet against Andorra and we’ve had clean sheets against Luxembourg and Belarus,” O’Neill said. “So you develop confidence in your system and the back three and goalkeeper…I think the defence is growing all the time. We’ve lost big players like Evans and Cathcart and they’re not easy players to replace, but as a group and a unit we’re compensating for that loss of quality and experience.”
Making up for Plovdiv
O’Neill would not – as some of his players have done – use the word ‘revenge’ when discussing Tuesday’s rematch against Bulgaria, but there is definitely a desire to make up for a disappointing night in Plovdiv last month. A mistake from Bailey Peacock-Farrell ended up deciding a match as Northern Ireland were unable to capitalise on a much-improved second-half display to find an equaliser. Given how tight Group 3 is proving to be in League C, Northern Ireland need to make the most of another home game.
Pierce Charles to start again?
O’Neill was understandably not giving anything away about his team selection on Monday but the first thing many will be looking out for on Tuesday’s teamsheet is the choice of goalkeeper. The manager said he had long had in mind the idea of using a game behind closed doors to give 19-year-old Pierce Charles his debut in net, and the Sheffield Wednesday youngster handled it extremely well, tidy when called upon with his hands while excelling with his feet. A night under the Windsor Park floodlights will be a very different challenge, but Charles has given O’Neill no reason to make a change.
Last home game of the year?
This will only be Northern Ireland’s second home game of the year, but with uncertainty over whether next month’s fixture against Belarus can be played in Belfast, it could also be the last. That decision over the Belarus match will come down to talks between the Irish FA, UEFA and the UK Government and will come down to whether or not travel visas are issued. Losing home advantage would be a big blow for Northern Ireland as they try to navigate a tight group.