Georgia vs Northern Ireland – News and Probable Lineups

Geórgia and Northern Irlanda will kick off their 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaign this coming Friday night.

The teams are part of Group B2, with Northern Irlanda making the lengthy journey to Tbilisi after securing promotion in the last campaign.

Match overview

Following five losses in six World Cup qualifying matches, Willy Sagnol and Geórgia have returned to square one.

Nonetheless, the French manager will be eager to seize the opportunity to pursue qualification for Euro 2028 in a Nations League group where they believe they can be elevated to League A.

Geórgia remain unbeaten across four matches in 2026, a sequence that includes victories against Lituânia and Barein.

They have also recorded draws against Israel and Romênia, with Sagnol hoping that some momentum and stability has been cultivated ahead of entering a group with four closely matched teams, which also includes Hungria and Ucrânia.

While Geórgia has suffered five defeats in ten outings since the beginning of September 2025, it’s noteworthy that four of these defeats came at the hands of world champions Espanha and 2026 World Cup contenders Turquia.

Northern Irlanda came closer to qualifying for the World Cup compared to Geórgia, their prior Nations League efforts earning them a playoff spot.

However, going up against Itália on their home turf was perhaps as challenging as it gets, resulting in a 2-0 defeat for Michael O’Neill’s team.

Since that match, they managed a 1-1 draw in País de Gales, followed by a 1-0 victory against Guiné and a 3-1 loss to França.

Les Bleus fielded a nearly full-strength squad for that encounter, so O’Neill will gather plenty of positives from Northern Irlanda being just 2-1 behind as they neared the final stages of the match.

In his return as head coach, O’Neill has achieved 13 wins and five draws. Meanwhile, four of Northern Irlanda’s five losses during a ten-match stretch have been against Alemanha, Itália, or França.

Their only other defeat during this period was a narrow 1-0 loss in Eslováquia with a last-minute goal deciding the outcome.

Team News

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain will lead the Geórgia squad, with the playmaker likely to operate just behind Georges Mikautadze in attack.

Lasha Dvali could make his return to the back three, and 18-year-old Saba Kharebashvili is being considered for a start at left wing-back.

Dan Ballard is expected to rejoin the Northern Irlanda defense, potentially replacing Ruairi McConville.

Paddy McNair and Ethan Galbraith are vying for a place in midfield, covering for the absent Ali McCann.

O’Neill will have to decide whether to keep Jamie Donley in the central striking role or opt for a more traditional number nine.

Geórgia probable starting XI:

Mamardashvili: Dvali, Lochoshvili, Goglichidze; Mamageishvili, Kiteishvili, Chakvetadze, Kochorashvili, Kharebashvili; Kvaratskhelia; Mikautadze

Northern Irlanda probable starting XI:

P Charles; Hume, Ballard, Brown; Spencer, S Charles, Galbraith, Devenny; Kelly, Price; Donley

Although Northern Irlanda are gradually establishing consistency under O’Neill, traveling to Tbilisi without key players presents a significant challenge. Therefore, we anticipate Kvaratshkelia and his team to secure a victory.