Northern Ireland vs Slovakia Prediction: Back another booking for Bradley

Surprisingly, in a Uefa World Cup qualifying group containing Germany, Slovakia and Northern Ireland sit first and second, respectively, after two games played. The two nations face off against each other on Friday (19:45 BST, BBC Two) at Windsor Park.

Below are my Northern Ireland vs Slovakia predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this Group A game in Belfast.

Team News

Veteran Northern Ireland striker Josh Magennis (Exeter City), who has scored 12 international goals across 82 caps but had not featured in manager Michael O'Neill's squad since November 2024, is back in the reckoning this month.

Daniel Ballard (Sunderland), Conor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle), Brodie Spencer, Ciaron Brown (both Oxford United) and Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers) are all back from injury, while Ross McCausland (Aris Limassol, on loan from Rangers) returns to the fray.

However, first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles (Sheffield Wednesday) is still out with a shoulder problem, and there is no place in the squad for strikers Dale Taylor (Blackpool) or Ronan Hale (Ross County), who were both called up for last month's internationals against Luxembourg and Germany.

World Cup Odds

Denis Vavro (VFL Wolfsburg) and Tomas Suslov (Hellas Verona) are still out injured for Slovakia, whose squad features Martin Dubravka (Burnley), Milan Skriniar (Fenerbahce), David Hacko (Atletico Madrid), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli) and Lukas Haraslin (Sparta Prague).

Tomas Bobcek (Lechia Gdansk) is the only uncapped member of Francesco Calzona's side.

Today's Football Fixtures

Northern Ireland vs Slovakia Odds

Northern Ireland are 8/5, or a 38.5% chance, to win their first home qualifier of the campaign, while Slovakia are 2/1 (33.3%) to keep up their 100% start, with the draw available at the same price.

Betfred are offering a couple of Price Boosts for this fixture, including Slovakia to Win, 3+ Goals in the Match & 9+ Corners in the Match at 8/1 (was 7/1).

Match Result - Draw @ 2/1

I'm finding it tough to separate these sides, who have both made encouraging starts to their qualification campaign. Slovakia have won their first two games, shocking Germany 2-0 in Bratislava before winning 1-0 in Luxembourg, where Northern Ireland also prospered (1-3).

O'Neill's side lost last time out, suffering a 3-1 defeat to Germany in Cologne, but the home side's second and third goals were scored in the 69th and 72nd minute, so the Norn Iron boss will have taken a lot of confidence from that game.

It's tempting to plump for a home win here as Northern Ireland have won five of their last six matches in Belfast (D1), but a 2-0 victory over Denmark in November 2023 aside, the countries they have beaten - Iceland, Belarus, Bulgaria and Luxembourg - haven't been of a high standard.

Slovakia have lost three of their last four away games, but one of those, against Slovenia in March, was a 0-0 draw in regulation time, with Adam Gnezda Cerin scoring the winner in extra time.

The Falcons won their last away game in Luxembourg, and after beating Germany in the same month, will be confident they can triumph in Belfast, but I can see both sides cancelling each other out at Windsor Park, so the draw appeals at 2/1.

Player to Receive a Card - Conor Bradley (NIR) @ 11/4

Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley, who operates as a wing-back for Northern Ireland, has only made 10 appearances for club and country this season, but has picked up six yellows - five for the Reds, and one for Norn Iron.

The 22-year-old was withdrawn at half-time of Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, but had already committed three fouls and been cautioned, and that booking came four days after one in a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, where he was only introduced in the 62nd minute.

Bradley was booked in his last international appearance, the 3-1 reverse to Germany in Cologne on September 7, when he made four fouls in total.

On Friday, he's likely to be in direct contact with Slovakia left-winger Leo Sauer, who averaged 1.5 fouls won per game for NAC Breda in last season's Eredivisie.

The 19-year-old joined Dutch giants Feyenoord in the summer and has already lured one right-back, Sparta Rotterdam's Shurandy Sambo, into a yellow-card challenge.

Sauer was fouled three times in his last international outing, the 1-0 victory over Luxembourg on September 7, when he was fouled three times. The home side's right-back, Laurent Jans, and right-sided centre-back, Enes Mahmutovic, were both booked for upending the teenager; Luxembourg right-winger Daniel Sinani was also shown a yellow in that game for a foul on Slovakia left-back Hancko.

Bradley, known for his aggressive nature in the tackle, could end up leaving one in on either Sauer or Hancko on Friday, making him a prime candidate in the Player to Receive a Card market.

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