Northern Ireland lead Bosnia in decisive Nations League clash
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The equation for Tanya Oxtoby's side is simple. If they win or draw with Bosnia in Zenica they will finish second in the group and qualify for the Promotion Play-Off for a place in League A. If they lose, they will finish third and drop into the Relegation Play-Off where they must fight to avoid the drop into League C.
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Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Scotland team v Iceland predicted - defensive shake-up, Kieran Tierney experiment and first start for striker
Scotland begin preparations for the start of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in September with a friendly double-header this week. Steve Clarke's side face Iceland at Hampden Park on Friday night before travelling to Liechenstein on Monday for their final warm-up match ahead of the bid to reach the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year. The Scots are looking to bounce back from a sour end to their Nations League campaign back in March when they succumbed to a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Greece in their League A/B play-off with a 3-0 loss in the second leg at Hampden coming as a major disappointment following the 1-0 away victory in the first leg four days earlier. The setback - which ended a run a three successive victories - meant Scotland lost their place in the top tier of the Nations League as they were relegated back to League B after one campaign in League A. Scotland will now look to restore some positivity against two opponents they will be expected to beat. Iceland have tumbled down the Fifa rankings in recent years after the highs of reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 and qualifying for their first World Cup in 2020. Now down at 74th, they finished third in their Nations League B section behind Wales and Turkey, but in front of Montenegro, who they registered their two wins against. Liechtenstein, meanwhile, are ranked 205th in the world, and lost twice to San Marino in their Nations League D campaign, one of only five teams below them in the rankings. Clarke has a decision to make over his team selection and tactics for both matches. He has named seven uncapped players in his squad but is without regulars Craig Gordon, Kenny McLean, Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes through injury. A fully fit Kieran Tierney also resurfaces an old dilemma for Clarke over how to incorporate both the returning Celtic left-back and Liverpool's Andy Robertson in the same starting line-up with a possible return to a back three, or an experimental option at his disposal. Here is how we predict Clarke could line up against Iceland at Hampden on Friday... 1 . Angus Gunn - GK The currently unattached 29-year-old goalkeeper following his Norwich City exit will likely be brought back in to start for his 16th cap in place of the injured Craig Gordon. | SNS Group Photo Sales 2 . Max Johnston - RB A home friendly against Iceland feels like the right time to give the 21-year-old Sturm Graz right-back his chance in the Scotland starting XI after a breakthrough season in Austria, which culminated in a second successive league title win and appearances in the Champions League. | SNS Group Photo Sales 3 . John Souttar - RCB After years of injury trouble, the Rangers defender appears to have finally cemented his status as a first-choice centre-back for Scotland. In line to win his 16th cap. | SNS Group Photo Sales 4 . Scott McKenna - LCB A puzzling one. The Las Palmas centre-back who played almost every week in La Liga, and starred in victories over Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, albeit before suffering relegation, has been kept out of the Scotland starting line-up by a Grant Hanley who couldn't get a game for either Norwich or Birmingham last season. Now must surely be the time to give the Souttar-McKenna partnership a chance, which, on paper, should be Scotland's strongest centre-back pairing. | SNS Group Photo Sales
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland know path to top flight after discovering Nations League Play-Off opponents
After finishing second in their group thanks to their final round draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland know only a two-legged tie stands between them and a place in League A. However, they have been handed a tough draw against Iceland, who are ranked 13th in the world and have qualified for the last four European Championships, with the upcoming Euro 2025 their fifth consecutive appearance. Boasting players such as West Ham's Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Madrid's Hildur Antonsdóttir and Leicester City's Hlín Eiríksdóttir, Iceland will be formidable opponents for Northern Ireland. Oxtoby will be cursing her luck as they could have been drawn against Austria (18th) or Belgium (20th), who will face the Republic of Ireland, although they did avoid the best nation in the draw in 12th-ranked Denmark. However, there will be a glimmer of hope in that Þorsteinn Halldórsson's side haven't won a match since July 16, losing five of their last ten outings and drawing the remainder. Northern Ireland finished second in League B1 behind unbeaten Poland as home wins over Bosnia and Romania, coupled with a pair of 1-1 draws away against the same opponents, saw them secure a Play-Off spot. The two Play-Off games will both be played in October, with the exact dates and venues to be confirmed at a later date.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Trai Hume expects in-demand Ronan Hale to shine on the international stage
Former Cliftonville hero Hale can reflect on a strong season with Ross County even though his side lost their Scottish Premiership status. Clubs in England and Scotland are now competing for the 26-year-old's signature after an impressive debut season with the Staggies. The Belfast Telegraph disclosed that League One sides Wigan Athletic, Luton Town and Port Vale are keen on the striker, while he is also a target for Scottish Premiership teams Aberdeen and Dundee. Hale is with the Northern Ireland squad preparing for Saturday's friendly in Denmark and he hopes to make his senior international bow over this June double header. Michael O'Neill's side face Iceland at Windsor Park next Tuesday after taking on the Danes. Dangerman Hale was disappointed not to play in the March friendlies, after going through a protracted Fifa process to complete an international transfer from the Republic of Ireland, however this could be the perfect time to showcase his talent with a potential summer switch on the horizon. Hale hit a hugely impressive 18 goals for Ross County in the 2024/25 campaign following last summer's move from Cliftonville. Despite his heroics, which included netting twice in the end-of-season promotion/relegation Play-Off against Livingston, County still went down. The Staggies will be aware they won't be able to keep their top marksman and will look for a healthy fee for a player who signed a three-year deal in 2024. The Belfast man has proved he can deliver in the Scottish Premiership and Sunderland star Hume believes the former Larne, Crusaders and Derry City striker can fire in this international window. 'Yeah, definitely,' said Hume when asked if this was a perfect opportunity for Hale to show what he can do. 'Ronan has done very well with County. His club were relegated but it was a great season for him personally. 'He has scored a lot of goals and hopefully he can get his debut — that is a call for Michael and his coaching staff. 'I have no doubt that if he does get his chance, he will take it with both hands and do well. Ronan is a great player and goal scorer.' While Hale's immediate future is up in the air, Hume has moved to allay the fears of Sunderland fans that he may be about to jump ship. The former Linfield defender has seen his name linked with Everton and Wolves, and speculation over his future is a familiar tale for the 23-year-old. While interest in the player is to be expected, what hasn't changed is Hume's affection for the Black Cats. That relationship is closer than ever after Hume and his international comrade Daniel Ballard helped Sunderland earn promotion in dramatic fashion. Ballard scored a 122nd-minute winner in the second leg of their Play-Off semi-final against Coventry City before Tommy Watson's stoppage-time goal completed a come-from-behind win over Sheffield United at Wembley. Hume and Ballard spoke during a training camp in Marbella this week, with both men sporting winning smiles. The dynamic duo will join Liverpool's Conor Bradley and Crystal Palace FA Cup winner Justin Devenny in the top flight, while Tottenham's Jamie Donley has returned from his loan at Leyton Orient. O'Neill has spoken of the importance of his players competing at a high level and Hume, who joined Sunderland from Linfield in 2022, is convinced his country will reap the benefits. 'It's not in any doubt that when you are exposing yourself to the best League in the world, it will help you,' said Hume. 'You want to try your best to do well there. You can become a better player because of it. "Myself and Dan are still young. Conor and Justin are still young and hopefully we can have many years in the Premier League and that will benefit ourselves and Northern Ireland going forward. 'I have no doubt there are other players in the squad that can get themselves in the Premier League but it is us four at the minute and hopefully we can push the lads and bring them up to the standard that we will set.' O'Neill's side will face Luxembourg, Germany and Slovakia in their bid to reach a first World Cup since 1986. There is a sense of anticipation and excitement around this young team the former Stoke City boss is building. Hume is the new promotion king — after firing Northern Ireland into League B in the Nations League, he helped to steer Sunderland to the Premier League. Team spirit and togetherness matters at club and international level. 'I think it's obviously a wee bit different to a point because you spend basically every day of your life with each other at Sunderland,' he explained. 'You're with each other every day, when you're training and whenever you're outside of football, most of the time you're spending it with your team-mates as well, unless you've got kids. 'But for me, that's what I do, and you get really close with them. International football is kind of different. You've obviously grown up with a lot of people in the squad, so you kind of get that friendship and that bond very early on. 'So it is similar in a way. Obviously, Sunderland have a great togetherness as everyone's around the same age. 'But we have a great togetherness here too and I think that can take you very far no matter where you're playing. So as long as you have that, you're putting yourself in good stead. 'Whenever we do go through tough times or we are enjoying it, we keep a level head and try and stick to the job at hand and stay together.' In March, Northern Ireland drew 1-1 with Switzerland before crashing to a 5-1 loss to Sweden. The former Ballymena United defender played against Switzerland but not the Swedes. O'Neill's side begin their bid to qualify for next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with an away game against Luxembourg in September before travelling to four-time world Champions Germany. A clash in Denmark will shine a light on the team's resilience on the road. Players like Hume and Ballard have developed a big game mentality. 'Yes, I think it will help us deal with the atmosphere a bit better,' continued Hume. 'Obviously, the calibre of players will be a lot different. I think we will try our best to deal with that. 'I think the big games you do play in, you get used to the emotion of it and the challenge of playing in front of the crowd and not getting caught up in the emotion of the game. 'Germany is definitely going to be a lot different than Sheffield United. Like I say, we will just have to try our best to be ready and be focused for it. 'Whenever we were here (Denmark) two years ago, we almost got a point out of it if it wasn't for VAR, so I think we can give Denmark a good challenge here and hopefully we will win the game.'
