"A hamstring injury for the Sunderland defender means that Michael O'Neill will be without two of his four Premier League players for the crucial game."
"Of the five games he has missed, Northern Ireland have lost two, won two - both against Luxembourg - and drawn once."
"A physical presence, Northern Ireland have conceded four goals in the five matches that Ballard has played in, compared to 10 when he has been unavailable."
"Ruairi McConville is the most likely replacement for Ballard in Bergamo. The 20-year-old was also an injury doubt but played the full 90 minutes of the loss to Southampton."
Dan Ballard's hamstring injury has sidelined him for the World Cup play-off semi-final, leaving Northern Ireland without two Premier League players. Conor Bradley is also injured, limiting options to Trai Hume and Justin Devenny. Ballard's absence has been frequent, missing key matches due to injuries and suspension. Northern Ireland's performance has suffered in his absence, conceding more goals. Ballard has scored five goals in 33 caps, but did not score in recent qualifiers. Ruairi McConville is expected to replace him in the upcoming match.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]