Northern Ireland v Switzerland Matched Betting Tips

Northern Ireland v Switzerland matched betting tips for FIFA World Cup 2018 Play-Off 1st Leg match at Windsor Park on Thursday 9th November. Read the match preview and predictions for Northern Ireland v Switzerland matched betting tips.

Northern Ireland were assured a playoff spot with a game to spare, which is just as well, as they come into this match having suffered back-to-back defeats. Switzerland are the best of the runners-up, having only lost once in Group B. They were desperately unlucky not to qualify directly after finishing level on points with Euro 2016 winners Portugal.

Northern Ireland Team News

Manager Michael O’Neill is unlikely to be too adventurous with his team selection here and will largely stick to the players that have served him well in this process. Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley will form a familiar partnership in central defence. Up top, Conor Washington is the man tasked with getting the goals.

Switzerland Team News

The visitors appear to have an effective setup, so no major changes are expected. Johan Djourou missed the call up, so Manuel Akanji is tipped to slot in next to Fabian Schar at the back. Xherdan Shaqiri is a tricky customer and will be looking to drift in from the right flank to cause the hosts problems.

Northern Ireland v Switzerland Team Predictions

N. Ireland 4-2-3-1 Formation: McGovern; Brunt, Evans, McAuley, McLaughlin; Evans, Davis; Dallas, Norwood, Magennis; Washington

Switzerland 4-2-3-1 Formation: Sommer; Rodriguez, Akanji, Schar, Lichtsteiner; Freuler, Xhaka; Mehmedi, Dzemaili, Shaqiri; Seferovic

Northern Ireland v Switzerland betting stats for the last ten games:

• N. Ireland – won 6, drawn 0 and lost 4
• Switzerland – won 9, drawn 0 and lost 1
• N. Ireland have scored an average of 1.4 goals and conceded an average of 0.9 goals per game
• Switzerland have scored an average of 2.2 goals and conceded an average of 0.7 goals per game
• There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of N. Ireland’s previous 10 matches
• There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Switzerland’s previous 10 matches

Northern Ireland v Switzerland Goalscorer

N. Ireland Leading Scorers

J Magennis – played 9, goals 3, first goal 0
K Lafferty – played 10, goals 3, first goals 1
S Davis – played 10, goals 2, first goal 1

Switzerland Leading Scorers

H Seferovic – played 10, scored 4, first goal 3
S Lichtsteiner – played 9, scored 3, first goal 0
A Mehmedi – played 9, scored 2, first goal 0

Northern Ireland v Switzerland Predictions

With the players at their disposal, what Northern Ireland have achieved in these last few years is incredible. They’ve had a taste of the big time at Euro 2016 and will be hungry for more. However, there’s been little to take from their last two performances, so they must show some improvement here.

Switzerland are a well-drilled and organised outfit. They missed out on an automatic qualifying spot by the narrowest of margins and will be desperate to ensure that they get a reward for all of their work. Despite being the visitors, they come into this match as narrow favourites.

Northern Ireland are a tough side to beat on their own turf but come  up against a stubborn opponent here. The visitors have won ten of their last eleven matches, keeping an impressive seven clean sheets in the process. This could develop into a tactical duel, one which is tipped to end in a narrow Swiss win.