Swiss clash ‘not a revenge mission’

It was the Swiss who ended Northern Irish hopes of reaching the 2018 finals with a hugely controversial 1-0 play-off win thanks to a disputed penalty, but captain Davis – one of four players in Ian Baraclough’s squad who played that night – said he and his colleagues have moved on.

“The squad now is very different to what it was then,” the Rangers midfielder said. “We won’t use any energy on revenge or anything like that.

“We know the importance of this game and what it could do for us and that is our sole focus.”

After Thursday’s 4-1 win in Lithuania, Northern Ireland go into the game knowing a victory would move them above Switzerland into second place behind European champions Italy in Group C.

Baraclough’s side will be full of confidence, having followed Thursday’s win with a 1-0 friendly victory over Estonia on Sunday, delivered by a much-changed side.

The manager, a little over a year removed from his first game in charge, arguably did not enjoy the rub of the green early in his tenure, but recent results – Northern Ireland have won three of their last four starting with the 3-0 friendly win over Malta in June – give a cause for optimism.

“We knew the things we were laying down, the processes, the things that give us a chance to win games, were working for us,” Baraclough said.

“We came into this camp knowing we were playing well and we just needed to tighten up one or two things.

“We were clinical against Lithuania, we took our chances and played very well, (apart from) 10 or 15 minutes, and then with a totally different team against Estonia, a tricky game but we came through it and I think we’re in very good form and high in confidence.”

Pointing to Bulgaria’s draw with Italy, Baraclough said: “There are going to be more results which will surprise people, so we’ve just got to make sure we look after our games, our house.

“If we get that right, we’ll put ourselves in with a great chance…We’d love to beat the Swiss at home but if we do that it’s not job done.

“We have to go there and to Bulgaria next month so it’s important we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves and consider it the be all and end all if we win this game.”