Northern Ireland vs Georgia – News and Probable Lineups

Northern Irlanda will host Geórgia at Windsor Park on Monday as they aim to maintain their strong start in the UEFA Nations League Group B2.

The Green and White Army are looking to secure their third victory in four matches, while the Crusaders are eager to prevent another defeat.

Match overview

Michael O’Neil’s Northern Irlanda have performed remarkably well in Nations League B thus far, remaining unbeaten during the international window.

The Norn Iron came into this competition after achieving only two victories across seven games, but they began with a 1-0 win against Geórgia on September 25.

O’Neil’s squad followed that up by holding Hungria to a 0-0 draw three days later, before comprehensively defeating Ucrânia 3-0 last Friday.

This recent triumph has positioned Northern Irlanda at the top of Group B2 with seven points, with promotion to League A now within reach for these unexpected leaders.

In excellent form, the hosts will approach their encounter at Windsor Park with confidence, further reinforced by the fact they have recorded only one loss at home since October 2023, drawing twice, winning nine times, and achieving 10 clean sheets along the way.

In contrast, Geórgia have had a disappointing international break this autumn, which began with the dismissal of former manager Willy Sagnol following their defeat to Northern Irlanda on the opening matchday.

The Crusaders quickly appointed Ramaz Svanadze as his replacement, the 45-year-old who had been managing the nation’s Under-21 team for the past five years.

Sagnol had been in charge since 2021 and played a significant role in helping Geórgia qualify for their inaugural major championship – Euro 2024 – where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by the eventual champions, Espanha.

However, the Frenchman failed to qualify for World Cup 2026 after losing five of his six qualification matches, and a poor start in the Nations League marked the end of his tenure.

Svanadze’s leadership commenced with a 0-0 draw against Ucrânia on September 28, but that point remains Geórgia’s sole point since they fell to Hungria 1-0 on Friday.

The visitors are in dire need of improvement, but finding it on the road will be challenging given they have lost four of their last five away fixtures, and also have yet to find the back of the net in Group B2.

Team News

Northern Irlanda will be absent their Sunderland centre-back Dan Ballard, who sustained a hamstring injury during the victory against Geórgia last month.

In his place, O’Neil may opt for a three-man defense consisting of Tom Atcheson, Ruairi McConville, and Ciaron Brown, supported by wing-backs Brodie Spencer and Terry Devlin.

Meanwhile, Luton striker Jamie Donley is expected to spearhead the attack once more, supported by Isaac Price and the 19-year-old Kieran Morrison, who is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Liverpool.

For Geórgia, they will be missing Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili, but Anzor Mekvabishvili should be available to partner Irakli Yegoian in the midfield.

Giorgi Chakvetadze is likely to continue in a role just behind the two, aiding Paris Saint-Germain talent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Villarreal’s Georges Mikautadze in the forward line.

Northern Irlanda probable starting XI:

P Charles; Spencer, Atcheson, McConville, Brown, Devlin; Morrison, Hume, S Charles, Price; Donley

Geórgia probable starting XI:

Mamardashvili; Goglichidze, Dvali, Locoshvili; Kakabadze, Yegoian, Mekvabishvili, Tsitaishvili; Chakvetadze; Mikautadze, Kvaratshkhelia

Northern Irlanda have shown remarkable resilience at home, achieving 10 clean sheets in their last 12 games at Windsor Park.

In stark contrast, Geórgia have yet to score in the current Nations League campaign, and it would be surprising to see anything other than a win for the Green and White Army on Monday.