THE identity of this group’s runners-up will remain a guessing game, rather than a chess game, as long as Northern Ireland do not lose.
However, even in that event, Michael O’Neill’s men should soon secure a play-off place, with a little help from some Czech – or check – mates.
Croatia would ensure that outcome for NI, and second spot in Group L for Czechia, with a home win on Friday evening against the Faroe Islands.
Failing that, Slovakia’s western neighbours will surely seal that runners-up slot by defeating visitors Gibraltar in Olomouc on Monday evening.
NI will host table-proppers Luxembourg that night, while Slovakia travel to Leipzig to take on leaders Germany.
Slovakia’s Patrik Hrosovsky (second left) scored an own goal in the 2-0 loss to Northern Ireland in Belfast last month (Liam McBurney/PA)
Avoiding defeat here in Kosice certainly won’t be easy, not least as the Slovaks stunned Germany when they came to the capital, Bratislava, on matchday one, inflicting a first ever away World Cup qualifier loss on their visitors, 2-0.
The hosts should also be stronger than they were when they went down by the same scoreline in Belfast last month. Atletico Madrid left-back David Hancko missed that match, as did midfield general Stanislav Lobotka of Napoli.
O’Neill laughed off the latter labelling NI as “annoying” earlier this week, responding: “I took that as a compliment really. You know what I mean?
“My wife says I’m annoying all the time, so it’s not something that’s alien to me. So, yeah, we take that as a compliment and it won’t upset us.”
Indeed, the boss suggested that his young team might again adopt an ‘in-your-face’ attitude, as they did to such good effect when Slovakia came to Windsor Park.
When it was put to him that visiting teams tend to sit back and try to quieten down the home crowd, which could invite Slovakia onwards, he replied:
“I never said I was going to play that way to begin with, but I don’t think so.
“You have to deal with the opposition in different ways. We know that we expect the intensity in the early part of the game. We have to be ready for that.
“The home team generally will always have a higher intensity at the start of the game, so we have to match that.”
NI’s hopes aren’t helped by the absence of their recent midfield trio of Shea Charles (hamstring), Ali McCann (broken arm), and Ethan Galbraith (suspension), with versatile defender Brodie Spencer also out injured.
Spencer could have continued at right wing-back, where he played because Liverpool’s Conor Bradley was banned for the last match, the 1-0 home loss to Germany.
Northern Ireland’s Conor Bradley In action against Bulgaria.
Desmond Loughery Pacemaker press (DESMOND LOUGHERY/Desmond loughery Pacemaker press )
Having the Aghyaran lad back is a major boost, though, especially after his terrific performance against Slovakia.
Bradley is an option to move into midfield, perhaps with his fellow Tyrone man Terry Devlin coming into the defence.
The versatile Paddy McNair might also move forward, and/or Justin Devenny, with the latter having been listed among the midfielders at the squad announcement, for what’s that worth.
Ciaron Brown, Eoin Toal, experienced midfielder George Saville, and the recalled left-sided Jamal Lewis are all contenders to come into the team, with Paul Smyth a more attacking option.
The 5-3-2 system will surely remain, though, and the club form of Sunderland duo defensive duo Daniel Ballard and Trai Hume is a basis for confidence that Slovakia will have to work hard to score.
Sunderland’s Daniel Ballard (right) and Trai Hume celebrate after the final whistle (Richard Sellers/PA)
Even if NI are pushed back, O’Neill won’t be overly worried, saying: “We’ve proven ourselves to be a very good counter-attacking team as well.
“We’ve proven ourselves to be able to win games without having a high amount of possession against very good teams.
“It’s very difficult to have a game-plan for 90 minutes. It won’t be a case of that, but I think the good thing about this group of players is the athleticism and youthfulness in the team means that we can play in different ways. We don’t have to sit deep.
“There will be times where we’ll have to go without the ball, but equally there’s times in the game where we can exert our dominance in the game as well… You have to read the opponent and adapt to the tactics and the style of the game.”
Defeat would not be a disaster, due to that ‘safety net’ of an almost certain play-off place, but O’Neill insisted the attention being paid to such permutations was: “None.
“It’s as simple as that. We haven’t paid any attention to that. We did our job in the Nations League and if that gives us a route to a qualification play-off, great. If it doesn’t, we have to take care of it here.
“This is the here and now and we have to deal with that situation which is obviously getting as many points as we can from the final two games.
“What we can get is 12 points and we have to aspire to get to that.”
Northern Ireland (possible): Peacock-Farrell; Devlin, Hume, Ballard, McNair, Brown, Bradley, Devenny, Saville, Price, Reid.