Play-off Pressure 'very Much On Italy' - O'neill

With Northern Ireland 2 games distant from qualification for nan 2026 World Cup, head Michael O'Neill has told his players not to "waste this opportunity".

It's surely not a straightforward way to North America arsenic O'Neill's broadside recreation to Italy for their play-off semi-final connected 26 March and, should they stun nan Azzurri, they will past recreation to either Wales of Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 days later for a winner-takes-all final.

Italy person not qualified for a World Cup since nan 2014 version successful Brazil, pinch Northern Ireland absent from nan large creation since 1986 erstwhile it was past held successful Mexico - 1 of nan 3 big nations adjacent twelvemonth alongside Canada and nan USA.

Although O'Neill's broadside has a young property profile, nan Northern Ireland head has nary fears his broadside tin emergence to nan situation successful nan play-off and, contempt defeats distant by Germany and Slovakia successful nan group phase, feels his broadside showed capable connected nan roadworthy to propose they tin outpouring nan surprise.

"It's difficult to triumph distant successful world shot and that is thing this squad still has to develop, but I return a batch of encouragement from nan performances successful Cologne and Slovakia wherever we were challenged and were missing cardinal players successful those games," he said.

"We still gave a really bully relationship of ourselves and were successful nan crippled successful Germany for 70, 75 minutes. We were successful nan crippled successful Slovakia correct to nan extremity and felt a small large aggrieved by nan quality of that result.

"We person to make nan crippled arsenic difficult arsenic imaginable for Italy and it will beryllium difficult for them pinch nan anticipation they transportation into nan game.

"If we tin adhd to that pinch really we play nan crippled and nan level of our performance, past who knows. We person an opportunity to spell to a World Cup and we person to do everything imaginable to effort to return it. What I will opportunity to them [players] is 'don't discarded nan opportunity.'"

While Northern Ireland vanished 3rd successful their qualification group, their Nations League capacity was capable to unafraid a play-off berth.

However, Italy person not precisely been riding nan crest of a activity of precocious pinch Gennaro Gattuso's men finishing 2nd successful their group down Norway who they mislaid to 3-0 distant and past suffered a 4-1 hammering astatine location successful their last group game.

"I suppose we would person preferred 1 of nan different teams successful Pot One, but to get to nan World Cup, you're going to person to hit 2 bully teams," O'Neill added.

"Italy distant is going to beryllium a monolithic game, a awesome crippled for america to beryllium progressive in. The anticipation and unit is very overmuch connected nan Italians, truthful we will request to usage that successful our favour.

"I cognize they've mislaid location and distant to Norway and nan bulk of their squad is based successful Serie A. Gattuso is their manager, truthful you will expect them not to beryllium lacking successful passion.

"We person 4 months to hole for this and look astatine Italy successful adjacent detail, truthful nan activity will commencement coming and tomorrow."

That Italy could miss retired connected a 3rd consecutive World Cup almost defies belief, considering they person won nan large prize 4 times successful their history.

However, athletics does not do sentiment and Italy's nonaccomplishment to scope nan 2018 tourney successful Russia and 2022 successful Qatar some came arsenic nan consequence of play-off defeats.

That will adhd to nan unit facing nan Italians this time, but O'Neill insists his squad must get their ain location successful bid for nan semi-final tie.

"The Italian squad of now is not going to beryllium nan Italian squad of 8 years ago," he countered.

"Not each their players are going to transportation nan load of having been unsuccessful successful play-off games. As a nation, they transportation that load and nan anticipation of their crowd will beryllium that they spell to a World Cup.

"They person won it 4 times and are 1 of nan heavyweights of world football, but those things are retired of our power and our attraction will beryllium connected really we are."