Northern Ireland to face Malta instead of Turkey in friendly on 31 May

Northern Ireland face two friendlies before players begin their summer breaks

Northern Ireland will face Malta on 31 May following the cancellation of their friendly against Turkey, which was due to be held on the same date.

With Turkey on the UK government's 'red list' for travel, Northern Ireland will no longer go to Antalya and will instead meet Malta behind-closed-doors in Klagenfurt, Austria.

They then face Ukraine on 3 June before players begin their summer break.

Ian Baraclough will name his squad early next week.

Northern Ireland have not met Malta since 2013, but the arranged 'international challenge match' means Baraclough can further assess his side before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers begin next year.

Travel restrictions have hampered a number of fixtures set to take place in Turkey, including the Champions League final between Chelsea and Man City which has been moved from Istanbul to Lisbon.

Turkey were hoping to use Northern Ireland's visit as part of their preparations for this summer's upcoming Euro 2020 finals.

Ukraine, now managed by ex-AC Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, will also take part in the Euros having topped a group that included defending champions Portugal, and host Northern Ireland in Dnipro in their final friendly before the tournament begins.