This Thursday, November 9, 2017 (11:45 AM Pacific) Northern Ireland will host Switzerland at Windsor Park for a match in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers second round. There is a clear winner heading into the game but with a World Cup spot on the line, it should prove to be a very contested matchup.
Northern Ireland is the underdog in this matchup having finished second in Group C of the qualifiers with 19 points. The group did feature Germany but was not very competitive with teams like the Czech Republic, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino. Josh Magennis and Kyle Lafferty were both some of the more notable players in the first round with three goals each. Most of Michael O’Neill’s team plays in England and should provide a competitive effort in this game. Northern Ireland should try and get a favorable result from this first leg and utilize that home-field advantage before playing in Switzerland.
Switzerland was one of the better teams in the group stage of the qualifiers finishing second in Group B with 27 points. La Nati did not have the most competitive group but did only finish second to first-place Portugal on goal differential. Vladimir Petković’s team is very talented featuring players like Stephan Lichsteiner, Ricardo Rodriguez, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Benfica’s Haris Seferović finished as the team’s top scorer in the first round with four goals but contributions came from the whole squad. Switzerland should be the team that makes it to the 2018 World Cup based on quality but it should still prove to be a hard-fought matchup, especially this first leg at Windsor Park.
How to Watch Northern Ireland vs Switzerland
The Northern Ireland vs Switzerland match will be broadcast this Thursday, November 9 at 11:45 AM Pacific:
TV Schedule: ESPN 2, ESPN 3
Watch Live Online: Sling TV (Watch 7 Days Free)
