Belief, youth and defence - will NI cause Italy upset?

ByAndy Gray

BBC Sport NI journalist

"We have to believe, because if we don't believe, no-one else will, and that's how we have to approach the game."

When Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland step foot in Bergamo for their World Cup play-off with Italy, few will expect them to defeat the four-time champions.

Gennaro Gattuso's side may not be the all-conquering team of old, but they still cannot be underestimated with a squad littered with Serie A and Premier League players.

O'Neill admits it is "very difficult to win" in Italy's backyard, but he is thankful that Northern Ireland "are still in the fight".

"I've always said to the players, don't waste the opportunity," O'Neill told BBC Sport NI.

"Every time you step on the pitch as an international player, you never know when it will be your last opportunity.

"So make sure that you embrace it and you do everything possible."

If Northern Ireland can topple Italy, then their reward will be another game on the road against either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A place at a first World Cup in 40 years, alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland, is the ultimate prize.

It's as tricky a path to the World Cup as they could have been handed, but O'Neill says his young side, many of which will be in this position for the first time, will "embrace" what lies ahead.

"I think if you get through the first game, it would be an amazing result for us.

"I think we would just ride that wave into the second game, whoever that may be against, but away games are always tough.

"While it was probably the toughest draw we could have got and it is a massive challenge for us, we have to embrace it".

O'Neill adds that Italy "have all the pressure" but he expects them to be "fully prepared for what we have to offer".

Gattuso, who was part of the World Cup winning squad in 2006, has only had six matches in charge of his country but has won five.

"We're a team that's developing, a young team that's trying to go, obviously our has been going in the right direction," O'Neill continued.

"The Italians are a much more experienced team with probably the weight of expectation of a nation on their shoulders.

"I think it is two teams in very different places, but it's a game that we have to look forward to."

Northern Ireland will be without key Liverpool defender Conor Bradley, while Sunderland centre back Dan Ballard is also a doubt after picking up a hamstring strain.

While O'Neill will be sweating on Ballard's fitness for the game in Italy, he says his team "grew a lot" over the qualifying campaign with a number of players missing through injury at various points.

Goalkeeper Pierce Charles missed the entire campaign, while his brother Shea and fellow midfielder Ali McCann were also absent for parts.

"We had a lot of challenges as well and, as a whole, the squad compensated for that very well.

"Look, we have to believe that you can cause an upset and any game of football is winnable.

"Our players have to fully believe that they have this opportunity and can take it."

When Northern Ireland last faced Italy at Windsor Park in 2021 they held the Italians to a goalless draw.

That result stopped Italy topping the qualifying group and they dropped into the play-offs, where they were stunned by North Macedonia.

That game was under Ian Baraclough, whose spell as manager was sandwiched in between O'Neill's two stints in charge, but the current boss believes defence will be key to success.

"We're always going to have to be a team that is difficult to beat, that has to be part of our make up," O'Neill said.

"We've been consistent with the shape of the team and how we've played, and we know that we have the athleticism in the team to be a good counter-attacking team.

"This game is probably not going to be a high-scoring game for us, so we need to be as good as perfect at the back and obviously find an opportunity that we can score ourselves."

This summer will mark 10 years since O'Neill guided Northern Ireland to the Euro 2016 finals.

That team was full of experienced players, such as Steven Davis, Jonny Evans and Aaron Hughes, a contrast to the current next generation team which is spearheaded by the likes of Shea Charles, Ballard, Trai Hume and Bradley.

"The team that qualified in 2016, it was built off a lot of similar foundations, albeit the players were more experienced.

"This group's in a different period. I have to give them confidence and I have to give them belief.

"But I think they have that and I think they've developed that already over this period in time.

"I've said to this group all the time, every game we go into, we have a lot more to gain than we have to lose.

"That's quite a nice place to be as a team as well and this game will be no different."