Northern Ireland vs Belarus

A coveted UEFA Nations League B promotion is on the line as Northern Ireland and Belarus go head-to-head at Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland halted an underwhelming two-game winless streak (D1, L1) with an emphatic 5-0 home win against Bulgaria last time out to seize the top spot in Group C3, moving one point clear of second-placed Belarus ahead of the final two rounds. Defensive resilience has been the backbone for Northern Ireland’s bid to return to League B for the first time since 2020/21, with Michael O’Neill’s side racking up three clean sheets in four matches during the ongoing cycle. Moreover, they’ve won both home outings by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ highlighting the potential for a fourth win in their fifth-ever meeting with Belarus (W3, D1). The only blemish on this near-perfect H2H run came in the reverse fixture (0-0), so the hosts cannot afford to take this opposition lightly.

Meanwhile, a maiden H2H win would significantly increase Belarus’ chances of winning their first League B promotion. Despite going unbeaten in all four Group C3 outings, they enter this round in second, one point adrift of Northern Ireland, only thanks to three draws (W1). Low scoring has been a common theme in Belarus’ Nations League matches in this cycle, with three out of four featuring under 1.5 goals. But they can take heart from conceding just once thus far! Worryingly, the visitors have only won one of their last six Nations League games as the designated away side (D2, L3). But they’ve at least found the net in eight of their nine most recent such contests.