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Played
November 14, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Windsor Park — Belfast
Referee:‬ V. Shvetsov‎
Attendance:‬ 12327‎
 
90+6′ David Healy
Rauf Aliyev 5′

Northern Ireland - Azerbaijan Preview: Michael O'Neill's men look to build on Portugal point

The Green and White army picked up an incredible result against Ronaldo & Co last month but must stay grounded for key clash against one of Group F's whipping boys

By Tom Marshall-Bailey

More On :  Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland vs Azerbaijan
Nani versus Northern Ireland 2
Getty
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland
Carroll
Hughes, Cathcart, McAuley, McGivern
Davis, C Evans, Baird, Brunt
Healy, Lafferty
AZERBAIJAN
  Azerbaijan
Agayev,
Abisov, Levin, Sukurov, Medvedev
Mamadov, Sadigov, Certoqanov, Huseynov
Aliyev, Nadirov

Peterborough midfielder Grant McCann has withdrawn from the squad for personal reasons. The 32-year-old's wife is set to give birth and he has returned home, ruling himself out of Wednesday's key clash.

McCann is the fifth player to drop out of Michael O'Neill's original 24-man squad after injuries to Manchester United defender Jonny Evans (groin), Hull City's Alex Bruce (knee) and forwards Andy Little (foot) and Jamie Ward (hamstring).

O'Neill responded to Ward's departure by calling up uncapped Inverness striker Billy McKay and has also added Liverpool prodigy Ryan McLaughlin and Burnley full-back Danny Lafferty to the squad.

West Brom centre-half Gareth McAuley returns from suspension while Chris Brunt and Shane Ferguson return from injury.

Meanwhile, Berti Vogts, Azerbaijan’s German head coach, has included no fewer than five uncapped players in his squad for Belfast.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Niall McGinn scored his first goal for Northern Ireland at the 19th attempt, when they held Portugal to a 1-1 draw last month.
  • McGinn (pictured right) has started only nine games, with his other 10 caps earned off the bench. The Donaghmore-born midfielder has also been an unused substitute on a further six occasions.
  • The draw in Porto was Northern Ireland’s 100th stalemate in competitive matches.
  • Out of a total of 466 competitive games, the Green and White Army have won 116 and lost 250, scoring 503 goals and conceding 952.
  • Azerbaijan head coach Berti Vogts took charge of 102 German international games and won 66, a success rate of almost 65 per cent.
  • The two sides have faced each other just twice, the first meeting in 2004 was a 0-0 draw, while Northern Ireland won their second encounter, in September 2005, 2-0.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Northern Ireland 0-1 Azerbaijan
    19.18 %
  • Northern Ireland 2-6 Azerbaijan
    10.96 %
  • Northern Ireland 2-0 Azerbaijan
    9.59 %
Head to Head
World Cup Qualification 2014 (Europe) ‎(WCQE)‎ 14 Nov 2012 Northern Ireland 1 - Azerbaijan 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Last Five Matches
Northern Ireland
26 Mar 2013Northern Ireland 0 - Israel 2WCQE
6 Feb 2013Malta 0 - Northern Ireland 0FR
14 Nov 2012Northern Ireland 1 - Azerbaijan 1WCQE
16 Oct 2012Portugal 1 - Northern Ireland 1WCQE
11 Sep 2012Northern Ireland 1 - Luxembourg 1WCQE
Azerbaijan
26 Mar 2013Azerbaijan 0 - Portugal 2WCQE
22 Mar 2013Luxembourg 0 - Azerbaijan 0WCQE
6 Feb 2013Azerbaijan 1 - Liechtenstein 0FR
1 Feb 2013Azerbaijan 0 - Uzbekistan 0FR
14 Nov 2012Northern Ireland 1 - Azerbaijan 1WCQE
Odds
Returns: Northern Ireland £2510.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £80.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Azerbaijan £50.00 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Team News
Available Squads
25Roy CarrollGoalkeeper
18Aaron HughesDefender
-Chris Baird
3Craig CathcartDefender
-Daniel LaffertyDefender
22Gareth McAuleyDefender
14Shane FergusonMidfielder
7Niall McGinnMidfielder
6Steven DavisMidfielder
-Dean Shiels
14Kyle LaffertyStriker
12Alan MannusGoalkeeper
-Michael McGovernGoalkeeper
23Ryan McGivernDefender
-Ryan McLaughlinDefender
11Chris BruntMidfielder
8Corry EvansMidfielder
14Oliver NorwoodMidfielder
11Paddy McCourtMidfielder
9David HealyStriker
-William GriggStriker
-Sälahät AğayevGoalkeeper
-Maksim MedvedevDefender
15Ruslan AbushevDefender
-Rasim RamaldanovDefender
21Vladimir LevinDefender
19Rahid AmirguliyevStriker
-Javid HuseynovMidfielder
-Ali GökdemirStriker
-Rauf AliyevStriker
-Vugar NadirovStriker
-Cihan ÖzkaraStriker
-Anar NäzirovGoalkeeper
-Andrey PopovichGoalkeeper
-Badavi GuseynovDefender
-Elhad NaziriMidfielder
-Haji AhmadovDefender
8Aleksandr ChertoganovMidfielder
10Elvin MammadovMidfielder
-R.Ä. SadiqovMidfielder
-Branimir SubasicStriker
-Uğur PamukStriker
7Vagif JavadovStriker
Players to Watch
Chris Baird
Chris Baird
Position:
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0
The Fulham utility man has impressed in his new-found midfield role this season and could prove vital in a match that is likely to be won in the midfield battle. Baird's resilience will be key to any sort of positive result for O'Neill's side in this game, while he has shown a handy knack for goalscoring with the Cottagers recently.
Vugar Nadirov
Vugar Nadirov
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
4 0 2 0
The striker's games to goals ration is not the greatest (just 4 in 46 international appearances) but the Azeri's youngest-ever player is is often charged with creating openings for his colleagues, and his work rate and pace could trouble a Northern Ireland backline yet to keep a clean sheet this campaign.
Prediction
After last month's morale-boosting 1-1 draw in Portugal, O'Neill will hope his men can use the result to finally push on in Group F, having picked up just two points in total so far. Northern Ireland should be confident about picking up a first win of the campaign against a struggling Azerbaijan side, but must tighten up at the back and hope to claim a first clean sheet at the same time.
Editor's Prediction
Northern Ireland 2
Azerbaijan 1
Results
Group A Matchday 4
Times In BST
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Real Madrid 		5 2
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Manchester United 		5 1
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Manchester United 		5 1

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