Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe is becoming an exciting three-way battle, with Germany temporarily taking the top spot.

The German team has the same 6 points as Northern Ireland and Slovakia, but is superior in terms of secondary indicators.

Imago - Duc Bac Ireland.jpg
Kimmich dropped back to play right-back. Photo: Imago

Coach Julian Nagelsmann and his team just had an important 4-0 victory over Luxembourg - their biggest win since the beginning of the year.

However, the victory over Luxembourg did not say much about Nagelsmann's team, when the opponent had to play with 10 men from the 20th minute.

Now, Germany face a bigger challenge in Northern Ireland. In the first leg, captain Joshua Kimmich and his teammates did not win easily.

The big change that Nagelsmann showed was the adjustment of the playing diagram. He abandoned the system of 3 central defenders to switch to a style of play with a defense of 4.

The change meant Kimmich was moved to right-back. Nagelsmann chose a central midfield pairing from Bayern Munich – the experience of Goretzka and the youth of Pavlovic.

In this 4-2-3-1 formation, Kimmich and Raum have many opportunities to advance on the wings. In addition, Nagelsmann has the opportunity to exploit the value of attacking players such as Serge Gnabry, Florian Wirtz and Karim Adeyemi.

Barring any surprises, Woltemade will be the spearhead of the four-time World Cup winners at Windsor Park.

Imago - Northern Ireland.jpg
Northern Ireland just defeated Slovakia. Photo: Imago

“ Northern Ireland will be very difficult to beat because they play a lot of long balls that are very difficult to defend, ” Nagelsmann commented on his opponents . That is also the message he wants his students to be careful.

“ It’s difficult to put pressure on Northern Ireland ,” Nagelsmann admitted. “It’s even more difficult when you have to face the home fans. We have to maintain the positive points like in the Luxembourg game . ”

Nagelsmann has reason to be cautious. Northern Ireland have just beaten Slovakia 2-0 at home, making the group situation more unpredictable.

Northern Ireland lost star Conor Bradley to suspension, but Michael O'Neill 's pragmatic style of play still posed a big challenge for Germany.

Force:

Northern Ireland: Bradley is suspended.

Germany: Atubolu, Fullkrug, Kai Havertz, Leweling, Musiala, Rudiger, Schade are injured.

Expected lineup:

Northern Ireland (5-3-2): Peacock-Farrell; Spencer, Ballard, McNair, Hume, Devenny; Galbraith, Charles, McCann; Reid, Price.

Germany (4-2-3-1): Baumann ; Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Raum ; Goretzka, Pavlovi c; Gnabry, Wirtz, Adeyemi ; Woltemade .

Match odds: Germany handicap 1 1/2

Goal rate: 3

Prediction: Germany win 2-1 .

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhan-dinh-bong-da-bac-ireland-vs-duc-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-2451840.html