World Cup European qualifying Group C: Northern Ireland v Germany (Windsor Park, 7.45pm tonight)
STEVEN Davis sees this game as “a great carrot” but the Northern Ireland captain and his team could also be beaten by the big stick that is Germany’s attacking power.
Joachim Low’s side have already scored 35 times in eight group games, including the only two conceded by Northern Ireland in this campaign – so far.
Michael O’Neill’s men have averaged a healthy two goals per game themselves, but the World Cup-holders are very different opponents to the others in this group, indeed to almost any other team.
The NI boss rates them as the best in Europe and probably the best globally; they certainly top the Fifa rankings.
Even one goal from the visitors would make it difficult for the hosts to get the point that would ensure a play-off place, given that Germany have also only let in twice, albeit both have been away, in Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic.
The German media officer introduced star defender Mats Hummels by mentioning the ‘special relationship’ he has with the Northern Ireland support – talking also of ‘a kind of a love story.’
‘We’ll always have Paris’ could be the tagline, with Hummels thrilled by the Green and White Army’s backing at the Euro 2016 meeting in the Parc des Princes last summer.
Hummels explained: “It’s kind of admiration I have for them because they are so special and enthusiastic; we played in a great atmosphere and I expect more of this.”
Yet on the pitch the NI-Germany relationship is perhaps more like the ‘Big Brother’ association which exists between the USA and the UK, given that Northern Ireland have lost the last six meetings on a cumulative scoreline of 17-2, including a 2-0 defeat in the away fixture just under a year ago.
Even his fondness for the Northern Ireland fans only goes so far, Hummels admitted, declaring: “Our mission is to put the final seal on the qualification campaign [in Belfast] and not on Sunday.”
However, he added: “I spoke to the scouts and I must say they are fantastic in defence, the only goals they have conceded were against us, so they will be a hard nut to crack.”
The renewed availability of Jerome Boateng to partner his Bayern Munich club-mate Hummels will make Germany even harder to score against.
The visitors are missing – among others - Mesut Ozil, Timo Werner, and Mario Gomez, who scored four of their six goals against Norway last time out, but they’ve had 13 different scorers in this campaign.
The recent poor results of German clubs in Europe were much mentioned by the visiting media, but there’s a wealth of talent available to manager Joachim Low. O’Neill pointed out that Germany won this summer’s Confederations Cup with almost a second string side, and the Euro U21s with a team who had players away at that senior tournament in Russia.
Still, even a draw would do for Northern Ireland, and Davis knows the importance of that ahead of a potential World Cup play-of:
“It would be huge in terms of seeding. We would be very unlucky now to miss out on the play-offs and if we get a good result against Germany it would put us in a good position to get seeded.
“So there is a great carrot there for us and on the night hopefully the crowd at Windsor will make it another special evening and an uneasy night for them.
“It will be very difficult, but if we do come off the pitch with a win it would be very special.”
Roll out the welcome mats and roll on tonight…
