"It is the biggest game for Northern Ireland in years. Slovakia have had a great start to their campaign with two wins, and that is what makes Friday's qualifier so huge. People will naturally look to the Germany game, and both matches are big in their own right, but given what is at stake on Friday you cannot look past those 90 minutes."
"At the start of the campaign you would have expected Germany to run off into the distance, but Slovakia's win over the Germans in the opening game changed the landscape. Given how things have started, if Northern Ireland can win on Friday and give Germany a game on Monday then the race for top spot in the group is blown wide open."
Northern Ireland will host Slovakia on Friday 10 October and Germany on Monday 13 October at Windsor Park, Belfast, with both kick-offs at 19:45 BST. Live coverage includes BBC Two, BBC One NI (for the Slovakia match), BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Ulster, plus live text, in-play clips, highlights and reaction online. Stuart Dallas, a former Northern Ireland international, described the Slovakia match as pivotal after Slovakia's two opening wins and their victory over Germany altered the group landscape. A win over Slovakia would significantly boost Northern Ireland's chances and energise a full Windsor Park crowd.
Read at www.bbc.com
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