5 talking points as Northern Ireland return to Copenhagen for Denmark friendly

With a match at home to Iceland to follow on Tuesday, these are the final dress rehearsals before Northern Ireland’s Group A campaign starts in Luxembourg in September.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the talking points ahead of the game at the Parken Stadium:

Turning points

It is just shy of two years to the day since Northern Ireland were last in Copenhagen for a Euro 2024 qualifier which ended in heartache for Michael O’Neill’s side. Callum Marshall thought he had scored a stoppage-time equaliser after coming off the bench to make his debut, but after a five-minute VAR check, the then teenager was ruled offside – a decision O’Neill called “a joke”. Two years on Northern Ireland come back to the Danish capital in a very different place. A dead-rubber win over Denmark in the reverse fixture in Belfast at the end of that qualifying campaign sparked a superb run of results in which O’Neill’s side have lost only three of their last 13 to build confidence going into the autumn.

More tough opposition

The most recent of those three defeats came in Northern Ireland’s last game and was a painful one as they lost 5-1 away to a Sweden side inspired by Alexander Isak. That is the sort of lesson O’Neill wants his players to be learning now – and not when the World Cup qualifying campaign has already started. That is precisely why he has chosen tough opponents for these friendlies, with Denmark ranked 21st in the world, 50 places above Northern Ireland.

Youth movement continues

The Northern Ireland side that started against Sweden had an average age of 22.6 and that number is unlikely to be raised dramatically in Copenhagen given that 12 of the 25 players on O’Neill’s squad are aged 21 or under. Six of them are uncapped, while the likes of Justin Devenny, Jamie Donley, Ethan Galbraith and Ruairi McConville can count their appearances on one hand. O’Neill is keen for these players to gain experience away to nations like Denmark before they travel to Germany in September. Paddy McNair’s withdrawal through injury robs O’Neill of his most experienced player.

Armband rotation continues

Trai Hume will captain Northern Ireland in both games this week, taking the armband for a second window after first donning it last September. But O’Neill has still stopped short of making a permanent appointment before the World Cup qualifiers, saying that Hume is part of a leadership group that also includes Conor Bradley and Shea Charles. “What we’re trying to get from this group of players is a number of leaders, not just someone that has the captaincy for a long period of time,” O’Neill said.

Familiar faces

Plenty of Denmark’s players will be well-known to fans of Premier League football, with Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, Patrick Dorgu, Matt O’Riley, and Christian Norgaard all called up, while Kasper Schmeichel – now with Celtic – remains a regular. But a lot has changed for Denmark since their last meetings with Northern Ireland. Brian Reimer, who was once Thomas Frank’s assistant at Brentford, was named manager in October and is still putting his imprint on the team’s playing style. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game, Reimer was clear in his desire to win, but added: “It’s about expression and performance.”