Northern Ireland vs Estonia - Qualification EURO 2012

Northern Ireland vs Estonia
EURO qualifiers 2012
Date : 7. October 2011 - 19:45 GMT
Stadium : Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland take on Estonia in Euro 2012 qualifying group C on Friday knowing that their qualification hopes are all but over. They need two wins from two, and for both leaders Italy and rivals Slovenia to do them a favour against second placed Serbia. Estonia's hopes are similarly limited; they sit in third place and could move ahead of the Serbians with a win, but this is their last game while the Serbians will have a further fixture next week.

David Healy remains Northern Ireland's talisman. He holds the record for most goals in a European Championship qualifying campaign thanks to some great form in the lead up to Euro 2008, but he's yet to score in qualifying for the 2012 tournament. The Northern Irish squad is young, with seven players aged under 23, and manager Nigel Worthington may have to accept that the last two years of qualifying have been primarily a learning experience if they fail to qualify.

Estonia may lack big names (Middlesbrough's Tarmo Kink is probably the best known on these shores), but they dominated Northern Ireland at home in September, winning 4-1. A draw and a win against Serbia as well as a good performance in defeat against Italy are promising signs for Estonian football, as they edge closer to their first major tournament qualification. It may be a bridge too far this time, but like the Northern Irish, they'll hope to come back stronger if they fail to qualify on Friday.

Head to Head :
Last Meeting : 6. September 2011 Estonia - N. Ireland 4-1
Wins N.Ireland : 2
Wins Estonia : 1
Draws : 0

Possible Line-Ups :
Northern Ireland : Blayney - Carson, Thompson, Mc Auley, Cathcart - McQuoid, Gorman, Clingan, Davis - Hodson, Feeney.
Estonia : Pareiko - Rahn, Piiroja, Kruglov, Jaager - Klavan, Vunk, Puri, Vassiljev - Kink, Ahjupera.

Betting tip/Prediction :
Northern Ireland take on Estonia in Euro 2012 qualifying group C on Friday knowing that their qualification hopes are all but over. They need two wins from two, and for both leaders Italy and rivals Slovenia to do them a favour against second placed Serbia.
Our prediction : Draw