Big match breakdown: Switzerland v Northern Ireland

Swiss hold first-leg advantage

The first-leg of Northern Ireland’s World Cup play-off clash versus Switzerland proved to be a controversial affair.

The Swiss grabbed 1-0 win in Belfast, courtesy of a very suspect penalty decision from the referee.

But the decision only served to overlook the fact that the visitors dominated the game, and Michael O’Neill’s side have an almighty task ahead of them.

So ahead of the crucial second-leg, the Coral News Team brings the big match breakdown…

The form

Worryingly for the Green and White Army, losing on Thursday made it three defeats on the spin.

They’ve failed to score in all of those games too.

But Northern Ireland have been solid on their travels, losing only four of their last 12. And they have produced the goods before, winning away at Ukraine, Greece and Hungary since 2014.

Switzerland aren’t often beaten at home however. Since a shock 2-1 loss to Luxembourg in 2008, only one side has gone to Basel in a competitive game and won – England.

The likely XIs

Northern Ireland must come out and play in this second leg, but that doesn’t mean O’Neill will make too many changes.

It would be silly to give the tie away early on, so it should be a similar XI to Thursday night.

That means Kyle Lafferty will provide a target up front, aided by Josh Magennis and Stuart Dallas.