Crunch time for Northern Ireland – talking points ahead of Lithuania game

Ian Baraclough’s men are still seeking their first win of the campaign.

Published Sep 1, 2021

Northern Ireland head to Vilnius on Thursday night to face Lithuania in their 2022 World Cup qualifier.

Ian Baraclough’s men are still seeking their first win of the campaign after taking one point from the opening Group C fixtures in March.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at the key talking points ahead of the encounter at the LFF Stadium.

Crunch time already

Northen Ireland v Bulgaria – FIFA World Cup 2022 – European Qualifying – Group C – Windsor Park — Northern Ireland were disappointed to draw with Bulgaria in March (Brian Lawless/PA)

Need for goals

Northern Ireland v USA – International Friendly – Windsor Park — Blackpool’s Shayne Lavery is still seeking a first international goal (Liam McBurney/PA)

Injuries create opportunities

Coaching changes

Cheltenham Town v Leicester City – Pre-Season Friendly – Jonny-Rocks Stadium — Adam Sadler has joined Ian Baraclough’s staff but will miss this international window (Nick Potts/PA)

Unfamiliar opponents

You will find few household names in the Lithuania squad, under new management in the form of Valdas Ivanauskas. Baraclough has pointed to the fact that the players are all familiar with one another as most are based in the domestic league, but that has not helped them in recent times as they have lost six on the bounce. That included defeats in their opening qualifiers against Switzerland and Italy, but also a miserable run in the Baltic Cup. They have only one competitive win in the last two years, so Baraclough will be keen to capitalise on facing struggling opponents.