Talking points as Northern Ireland face Ukraine in Nations League

Here, we look at the key talking points ahead of the game.

Momentum

A Saturday fixture for the first game of the window has given Michael O’Neill and his players more time to analyse last month’s performances as they aim to secure promotion.

They will have enjoyed a lot of what they watched as they built significant momentum – something they will now try to recapture for the final doubleheader.

Away wins over Georgia and Ukraine – Northern Ireland’s first away victories in the Nations League – mean promotion is in their own hands as they go into the games top of the group.

Defensive pride

The key to Northern Ireland’s success was simple – four clean sheets left them as the only side in the entire Nations League yet to concede.

They are on their best defensive run since 2017 despite the loss of key defender Dan Ballard to injury in the opening match, with Ruairi McConville and Tom Atcheson looking strong alongside the more experienced Ciaron Brown, star of the show in the win over Ukraine.

But beyond the back three, O’Neill has emphasised the importance of defending as a unit, and highlighted the structure and shape of the team as one of the most pleasing aspects when reviewing the first four games.

Windsor stalemates

The one disappointment from last month was Northern Ireland’s inability to win at home.

The failure to score in back-to-back stalemates in Belfast was particularly frustrating given Isaac Price’s missed penalty in the draw with Georgia.

Although a win against Ukraine is not an absolute must in the context of the group, the players have a huge determination to deliver victory for the home fans and go to Budapest in the strongest position possible.

Hungary go first

There is a scenario in which Northern Ireland could win the group on Saturday – if Hungary lose to Georgia a Northern Ireland win would put O’Neill’s side four points clear with one match to go.

And they will know before kick-off if that opportunity is there as Georgia face Hungary in Tbilisi at 5pm UK time, a little under three hours before the match in Belfast is due to get under way.

Ukrainian changes

Andrea Maldera’s Ukraine squad is much-changed from last month, and not all of it is enforced as the Italian seeks a shake-up after their last window ended with defeats against Northern Ireland and Hungary.

Andriy Yarmolenko, Viktor Tsygankov and Oleksandr Zubkov have 241 caps between them but are among those out of the squad since last time, a significant loss of experience as Maldera looks to a new generation.

Ukraine have not lost three straight matches since November 2020.