Euro 2020 play-off final: Northern Ireland v Slovakia - five big talking points

Josh Magennis, Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas celebrate the play-off semi-final win over Bosnia-Herzegovina

It's been a long and eventful journey but Northern Ireland now stand on the brink of appearing at the European Championship finals for the second consecutive time.

From being grouped with continental giants Germany and the Netherlands, finishing third in their qualifying campaign, having their play-off semi-final postponed twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic, not to mention a change of manager, there have been plenty of twists and turns along the way for the Green and White Army to digest over the past couple of years.

Having seen off Bosnia-Herzegovina in a dramatic play-off semi-final penalty shootout in October, NI are just one win away from reaching the finals - Slovakia standing in the way of Ian Baraclough's men appearing in the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

A place in Group E of next summer's finals with Spain, Sweden and Poland is the prize on offer for the team that progresses.

Before Thursday's crucial play-off final at Windsor Park, we examine some of the big pre-match talking points.

Can Baraclough join an elite group of managers to lead NI into a major championships?

Just five months after his appointment and two months since his first match in charge, Ian Baraclough has the chance to etch his name into the annals of Northern Ireland footballing history by taking the national team to a major tournament finals.

Only Peter Doherty, Billy Bingham and Michael O'Neill have travelled that path before, with Baraclough on the verge of becoming the first non-Northern Irishman to join that illustrious group of managers.

The Englishman's predecessor Michael O'Neill must of course take his share of the credit for helping NI get this far but it is the former Sligo Rovers and Motherwell boss who will have the opportunity to pit his managerial wits against some of Europe's finest coaches should his side get past Slovakia this week.

Although his tenure has been a relatively brief one, an appearance at a major finals would be a major feather in the cap and an attractive addition to the CV of the man appointed as NI Under-21 boss by O'Neill three years ago.

Promoted to manage the senior team after seeing off the likes of homegrown heroes Stephen Craigan and Tommy Wright for the top job, Baraclough has already paid back some of the faith shown in him by making some big calls which helped his side edge past the Bosnians last month.

Baraclough was appointed to the NI manager's job in June

Is Northern Ireland's Nations League form a concern?

With Northern Ireland losing all four of their games in the inaugural Nations League prior to the Euro 2020 qualifiers and their present campaign in the same competition yielding one draw and three defeats it is fair to say that there is room for improvement.

Their recent run of results - a point in Romania while playing with 10 men for much of the game, a 5-1 home hammering by an Erling Haaland-inspired Norway, followed by defeats by Austria at home and Norway away - could in theory have a draining effect on confidence.

Mitigating factors for the disappointing outcomes of those games it could be argued are that the first two matches in September were staged before players had begun their club seasons, then in October a triple-header prevented the selection of a first-choice line-up for every game.

A hangover from the euphoria of securing victory in the Bosnia game which preceded the most recent two fixtures may also have been a contributory factor to under-par results.

Reason for optimism can be found in the fact that Northern Ireland have exhibited a tendency to raise their game in the matches that matter over recent years.

Cause for concern may be the absence of the majority of supporters inside the stadium and as a result the lack of the atmosphere which has helped inspire NI to victory in some of the biggest glory nights they have enjoyed in recent decades.

Can NI make amends for the hurt suffered in the Switzerland World Cup play-off?

It is three years since Northern Ireland suffered the frustration of being edged out by Switzerland 1-0 on aggregate in hugely controversial circumstances in their two-legged play-off for a place at the 2018 World Cup.

Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan infamously awarded the Swiss a penalty in the first leg in Belfast, ruling that Corry Evans blocked a shot with his arm despite replays showing the ball struck the player's shoulder.

Northern Ireland went close to overcoming that injustice in the second leg when they drew 0-0, the fact that Hategan admitted his mistake in retrospect providing little consolation.

Corry Evans was adjudged to have handled the ball in NI's play-off first leg defeat by Switzerland in November 2017

Many of the players involved in that play-off are still a part of the present squad and will welcome the chance to make partial amends for that disappointment by reaching a second successive Euros.

Before the match with Bosnia some players alluded to using the memory of that defeat as a source of motivation.

Despite the number of competing countries being increased for recent tournaments, reaching a second European Championships would rank as a major achievement deserving of at least being mentioned in the same breath as NI making successive World Cups in 1982 and 1986.

An appearance in the finals would provide invaluable experience for the young players making their way in Baraclough's squad - and possibly help extend the international career of new all-time caps record holder Davis.

Will Baraclough select a similar starting line-up to that which defeated Bosnia?

The received wisdom appears to be that the team that starts against Slovakia will closely resemble that which took to the field in the play-off semi-final.

With Corry Evans ruled out through injury, the NI boss will hope to have all his other key players fit and at his disposal - that core who look to be automatic selections and form the backbone of his team - goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Stuart Dallas, Jamal Lewis, Craig Cathcart, Jonny Evans, Steven Davis, Paddy McNair and George Saville.

The lack of goals emanating from the squad's strikers is a continuing cause for concern, a problem evidenced by the fact that both O'Neill and Baraclough have chopped and changed their forward options regularly in recent years.

Given the part he played in the win over Bosnia, Magennis appears favourite to get the nod up front, although Conor Washington, Liam Boyce and Kyle Lafferty will all have claims on the striking spots - or impact roles off the bench. Washington's hard-running energy and pressing ability have earned him starts under Baraclough already.

Niall McGinn scored the equalising goal in Sarajevo and with Jordan Jones not included in the squad following his breach of Covid regulations and Gavin Whyte failing to significantly make his mark when handed starting roles against Austria, the Aberdeen winger looks a good bet to occupy a berth on the wing.

The NI manager has been tinkering with his formations throughout the series of autumn matches - operating a 4-5-1 against Bosnia - and it remains to be seen how he will lay out his team for this most crucial of matches.

How good are Slovakia?

Temporary manager Stefan Tarkovic was part of the Slovakia coaching team at Euro 2016

At 37th, Slovakia are ranked four places above Northern Ireland in the Fifa rankings but despite having home advantage were unconvincing in their play-off semi-final win over the Republic of Ireland - Stephen Kenny's side passing up some inviting chances to find the net during open play.

In common with Northern Ireland, the Slovaks finished third in their qualifying group, behind Croatia and Wales, and again like their opponents in Belfast on Thursday, they have drawn one and lost three of their Nations League matches during September and October.

That unconvincing form prompted them to replace manager Pavel Hapal with temporary boss Stefan Tarkovic in late October despite their progression to the play-off final.

Bosnia-Herzegovina also replaced their manager prior to facing Northern Ireland, a move which failed to achieve their desired outcome.

Similar to Northern Ireland, Slovakia made their first appearance at a European Championships in 2016, reaching the last 16 stage, their only other appearance at a major finals coming in the 2010 World Cup.

Their captain Marek Hamsik is their most capped player with 123 appearances, and also their record all-time goalscorer with 26 - his battle with opposite number Davis could play a pivotal role in the tie.