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Northern Ireland manager Michael O\u2019Neill has told his players this week\u2019s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Estonia and Belarus are \u201cessential\u201d to their hopes of navigating a tough group.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland manager Michael O\u2019Neill has told his players this week\u2019s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Estonia and Belarus are \u201cessential\u201d to their hopes of navigating a tough group.<\/p>\n
With Holland and Germany the other two nations in Group C, the games at Windsor Park on Thursday and Sunday are the most winnable of the eight fixtures facing Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re essential,\u201d O\u2019Neill said. \u201cThere\u2019s no point saying otherwise. If we didn\u2019t get a result, yes you still have games to make up but if we\u2019re realistic we have to make sure with these two games we do everything possible to win.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur other two home games are Germany and Holland so without being disrespectful to Estonia and Belarus these are the easier games at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
In last year\u2019s Nations League, Northern Ireland never recovered from the disappointment of losing a home game they dominated against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and went on to lose all four matches in the competition to suffer relegation.<\/p>\n
Regaining some winning momentum is therefore vital if they are to keep themselves in hunt for a place in next year\u2019s championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese games are essential in terms of our opportunity for momentum, for points on the board,\u201d O\u2019Neill added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re a smaller nation you need to be out in front. It\u2019s very difficult to come from behind in qualifying when you\u2019re a smaller nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players are under no illusions. We\u2019ve looked at the group and talked about the scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s all talk at the end of the day. You can plan and plan but you have to go out and perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
The task may be daunting but the prize on offer feels tangible to the Northern Ireland players, with many of the current squad having been at Euro 2016 \u2013 which was Northern Ireland\u2019s first major tournament in 30 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite a number of the players experienced that Euros,\u201d said captain Steven Davis. \u201cIt was one of the best experiences of our lives and not just in football.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe carrot is there for us. We know the situation we are in in this group. We want to get off to a good start and see where we\u2019re at.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can get off to a good start, there\u2019s a snowball effect and confidence and belief grows in the side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not for the first time, O\u2019Neill has several players in his squad who are not getting a regular game for their clubs, with more than half of the group not starting their final club match before the international break.<\/p>\n
Davis is among those not playing regularly, having not yet got the game time he was hoping for when he swapped Southampton for Rangers in January.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not panned out the way I would like up to this point,\u201d the midfielder said. \u201cIt was good for me to get 90 minutes at the weekend. I\u2019m feeling quite good but you need to get a regular run of games to get to the level you want.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an unusual situation for us. It\u2019s the way it\u2019s been throughout my international career. At different times key players haven\u2019t been playing but we\u2019ve always managed to deal with it quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neill has injury concerns over Corry Evans and Gareth McAuley, who both have hamstring problems, while Gavin Whyte is carrying a thigh injury.<\/p>\n
One player who will definitely not be involved is Will Grigg, who has returned to Sunderland with an ankle injury.<\/p>\n