The match between Slovakia and Northern Ireland looks like a tight encounter between evenly matched opponents. Both teams are in similar positions in the standings and are motivated to fight for a spot in the World Cup. Slovakia plays strongly at home, as evidenced by their recent convincing 2-0 victory over Germany. However, the visitors are a capable team, having already beaten Slovakia in their last match (2-0).
Northern Ireland, however, need only a win today to maintain their chances of securing second place, as Slovakia's final qualifying match is against Germany, and Northern Ireland's against Luxembourg. The visitors will be playing a risky game, but we believe this will only play into the hands of Slovakia, which has the squad to withstand pressure from such an opponent and respond on the counterattack.
