Belarus vs Northern Ireland Prediction: 12/10/2024

In the last edition of the Nations League, Belarus struggled, finishing last in their League C group without a single win in six matches. However, things have already improved for them in the first two rounds this season. Ranked 97th by FIFA, Belarus has earned four points so far, thanks to a draw against Bulgaria and an important 1-0 win over Luxembourg last month—their first victory in any competition since last November. With these positive results, Belarus currently sits at the top of Group 3 in League C. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland has yet to replicate the promising performances they showed a decade ago, such as during Euro 2016 in France.

Northern Ireland’s recent results have been less impressive, and they have struggled in qualification campaigns for major international tournaments. In this group, they started off with a 2-0 victory against a lackluster Luxembourg team but followed it up with a 1-0 loss to Bulgaria, which leaves them in third place.

The Belarusian squad is relatively unfamiliar to the wider audience, as many of the players are based domestically or play in various Eastern European leagues, including Russia and Kazakhstan. Notable players include experienced defender Martynovich (77 caps), midfielders Ebong (40 caps, 5 goals) and Yablonsky (38 caps, 3 goals), and forward Antilevsky (Hapoel Haifa), who has scored twice in 15 matches. However, key players like captain Lisakovitch (Rubin Kazan, 21 caps, 5 goals), considered one of the best players on the team, and Morozov (Arouca, 13 caps, 2 goals) are missing from the lineup this week.

On the other side, most of the Northern Ireland squad plays for English clubs, primarily in the Championship. The lineup includes goalkeeper Peacock-Farell (Birmingham City), defenders McNair (West Bromwich Albion, 71 caps, 7 goals), Ballard (Sunderland), Brown (Oxford United), and Hume (Sunderland). In midfield, players like Saville (Millwall, 53 caps), Thompson (Stoke City), and McCann (Preston North End) are included. Striker Magennis (Exeter City), who has scored 11 goals in 80 appearances, also features, along with promising youngsters Bradley (Liverpool) and Price (Standard Liège, 14 caps, 2 goals). Northern Ireland legend Jonny Evans (107 caps, 6 goals), from Manchester United, retired from the national team last June.

 

Prediction

Belarus typically doesn’t participate in high-scoring matches, with 15 of their last 20 home games in the UEFA Nations League featuring under 2.5 goals. Northern Ireland has experienced similar outcomes in their recent away games, with six of their last nine away matches also being low-scoring affairs.

Prediction: Belarus 0 : 0 Northern Ireland