Northern Ireland boss expects tough encounter with Slovakia

Northern Ireland will have to be at their best to get a result against Slovakia in Belfast tonight, according to senior men’s team manager Michael O’Neill.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against the Slovakians at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park (7.45pm) is part one of a double header which will also see Germany visit the stadium on Monday.

Slovakia currently top Group A in the European qualifiers for next year’s World Cup, with six points after two wins out of two, while Northern Ireland are second with three points after defeating Luxembourg away last month. The Germans also have three points after beating Northern Ireland in Cologne in September but losing to Slovakia away in their opener.

The Northern Ireland boss said he was not surprised at the Slovakians beating the Germans.

In his Manager’s View column in the matchday programme he points out: “Slovakia put a bit of a spanner in the works in terms of our group when defeating Germany in Bratislava last month, however I always thought they were capable of doing that.

“They have some very good players. When I was working for UEFA at Euro 2024 I covered two of Slovakia's games, so I saw them at first hand.”

O’Neill was particularly impressed with midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, who plays for Napoli in Italy. However, Lobotka has had to withdraw from the Slovakia squad due to injury.

And the Slovakians might also be without Atletico Madrid defender Dávid Hancko, who is a doubt for the game at the National Stadium.

However, the Northern Ireland boss believes Slovakia will be a tough nut to crack.

“Our opponents tonight are a very experienced international side and we will have to be at our best to get a result,” he says.

O’Neill further said it was imperative to put points on the board at home.

He insisted: “Strong home form provides a solid foundation on which to build upon.

“We have to come into these two games believing that it's there for us, that we can win at home against nations of this level.

“Our form in Belfast has been excellent in terms of the results we've had over the past two years. Since the Denmark game in late 2023 we have not conceded many goals at home.

“Being tight defensively in our stadium is now in our make-up and we have to continue to bring that to these two games.”

Francesco Calzona’s side typically line up in a 4-3-3 formation that appears more like a 4-1-4-1 when they are out of possession.

Slovakia’s Italian head coach likes his players to form a relatively high defensive line and, like many contemporary teams, they usually look to play out from the back.

Centre-halves such as Ľubomír Šatka and captain Milan Škriniar are comfortable with the ball at their feet and are often the first point of Slovakia’s attacks as they play out from the back. 

David Strelec’s 25 goals in 47 matches for Slovan Bratislava brought him to the attention of EFL Championship side Middlesbrough, who completed his signing for a reported £6.5m fee last month.

The 6ft 1in forward led the line for Slovakia in their opening group games against Germany and Luxembourg and caught the eye with his clever movement. He scored and provided an assist in the 2-0 win over Germany.

Tonight’s game is being shown live on BBC 1 Northern Ireland, BBC 2 network and on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport NI website. And you can follow it on Northern Ireland social channels.