Northern Ireland vs Azerbaijan - Evans knows the importance of Northern Ireland's game

Posted Friday, November 11, 2016 by PA

Jonny Evans has warned Northern Ireland another below-par performance against Azerbaijan will endanger their World Cup qualification bid.

The team ranked 88th in the world are the visitors to Belfast on Friday night, as they were four years ago, early in Michael O'Neill's reign, when only a stoppage-time David Healy goal prevented a shock away victory.

Worse was to follow later in that World Cup qualification process when Azerbaijan claimed a 2-0 success in Baku, one month after O'Neill's side had been beaten in Luxembourg during a period when Northern Ireland recorded only one win in 22 games.

Fortunes have certainly changed for the better since, for both nations, and three points at Windsor Park would put O'Neill's team above Azerbaijan into second place in Group C as they aim to reach back-to-back finals.

"I think we've come a long way," Evans said as he reflected back on the previous meetings with Azerbaijan.

"Michael spoke about that, how to deal with teams like that. I think they surprised us out there with how organised they were.

"The expectations on us as a team have risen dramatically and I do think for Azerbaijan as well. They're sitting well in the group and I'm sure they will be pleased with how they've started.

"The last game against them at home, we equalised late on, (but) I think we were in control in that game. I know back then we were disappointed with the result. I think now it would be even more so and it would really derail our campaign if we were to perform like that again. It would be disappointing for us to perform like that.

"In terms of how we approach the game, we're in a better mindset and we've got a much clearer plan going into the game of how we're going to win."

Azerbaijan will be missing their captain and 104-cap international Rashad Sadygov as Robert Prosinecki's surprise package aim to continue causing upsets.

Having never qualified for a major tournament, their early campaign form under ex-Portsmouth midfielder Prosinecki's guidance has the manager of their next opponents considering them a legitimate threat to their quest to finish second, which may secure a play-off berth.

They will be without Qarabag defender Saygov in Belfast, though, after a consultant in London decided he was not ready to return from a knee problem as Prosinecki tries to show the rest of the continent their story is not one dependant on luck.

"I believe we have a good team with good players and I think we have surprised a lot of people in European football," said Prosinecki, one of just 33 players to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"We are a good team and we want to show it's not just luck, that we have good players. We are 100 per cent motivated, we might lose tomorrow but our players will give 100 per cent and be able to say they have given everything they could."