Final score:-
Northern Ireland 3-2 Poland
Northern Ireland vs Poland match review and live commentary
Highlights of Northern Ireland vs Poland at Sapo
Game : Northern Ireland ( 2nd- 7 points) vs Poland (4th- 7 points)
Competition : FIFA World Cup 2010 Group 3 qualifier
Venue : Windsor Park, Belfast
Date : Saturday, March 28, 2009
The game is live on Sky Sports 1 in the UK.
Northern Ireland face Poland this Saturday at Windsor Park in what is a must win for Nigel Worthington’s men if they are to keep up their hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
Northern Ireland are second in the group with seven points ( ahead on goal difference- See Group 3 Table below), but have played one game extra. Since everybody is expected to get three points against San Marino, NI need to get it right at Windsor Park this Saturday to give themselves a realistic chance of qualifying. This game is at home, which makes it all the more important.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | Northern Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 | Czech Republic | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| Poland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 7 |
| Slovenia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| San Marino | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 0 |
The last time Poland visited Windsor Park ( in September 2004), they ran out 3-0 winners, with Maciej Zurawski, Piotr Wlodarczyk and Jacek Krzynowek scoring.
With Rangers’ Kyle Lafferty and Burnley’s Martin Paterson both out, Worthington has called youngster Glen Little up to the squad, but he is unlikely to figure. The obvious pairing upfront would be David Healy and Warren Feeney.
In midfield Steven Davis is suspended, which means we are likely to see Sammy Clingan and Grant McCann start there. George McCartney is also injured in defence. Evans and Hughes will have a big role to play in defence then.
Northern Ireland form- last five games
San Marino 0-3 Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland 0-2 Hungary ( Friendly)
Northern Ireland 4-0 San Marino
Slovenia 2-0 Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland 0-0 Czech Republic
The Poles, favourites along with the Czechs to qualify from this group, have been a bit inconsistent themselves. There have been rumours in the Polish press that coach Leo Beenhakker could get the axe should Poland not come away from Windsor Park with a positive result.
Rafal Murawski’s toe injury means that Beenhakker has to search for a suitable replacement in midfield to partner Lewandowski. Possible replacements include Tomasz Bandrowski and Lukasz Tralka, while Dudka ( who currently plays as a left back for Auxerre) could also be asked to fill in.
Poland are the stronger team on paper, but NI know they have to win.
Your predictions for this game?
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