New goalkeepers can 'stake NI claim' - O'Neill

Michael O'Neill is without his two most experienced goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard against Belarus

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill is hoping whichever goalkeeper he selects for Saturday's Nations League game with Belarus will go on to "stake a claim" for the jersey.

Number one Bailey Peacock-Farrell pulled out of the panel on Monday thanks to a shoulder injury, while his usual understudy, Conor Hazard, is already on the sidelines after ankle surgery.

That left Sheffield Wednesday's Pierce Charles, who has impressed for the under-21s, and Luke Southwood of Bolton Wanderers as the only keepers in the squad before Mansfield Town's Christy Pym was drafted in for a first time on Tuesday.

"That's the situation we have at this minute in time with Bailey being out and Conor previously," O'Neill told BBC Sport.

"It's quite difficult for a lot of countries once you go beyond their initial two goalkeepers to find someone with real experience. That's the situation we're in.

"Whoever gets the nod will hopefully stake a claim."

The game will be played behind closed doors in Hungary due to Uefa restrictions placed on the hosts. O'Neill, however, is not concerned that the lack of atmosphere will impact upon his side.

"A number of our players would have played through Covid and that situation," he said.

"Some of the younger players probably have played in empty stadiums at under-21 level. It's not something I'm too concerned about.

"We'll adapt to that fine and, if anything, it will be nowhere near the intimidating atmosphere that we would have had to deal with if it had have went to Minsk, we've been there and we know what that's like."

'They'll provide a stiff test for us'

Northern Ireland are not just without their first-choice goalkeepers but have also lost Sunderland defender Dan Ballard and Leyton Orient midfielder Ethan Galbraith to injury.

While Rangers attacker Ross McCausland remains with the group ahead of Tuesday's home game with Bulgaria, he will not feature in Hungary.

The contest provides Northern Ireland with a chance to restore momentum after last month's loss to Bulgaria in Plovdiv.

Aside from that defeat, the team's only other reverse of 2024 came at the hands of European champions Spain, but O'Neill believes the disappointing 1-0 Bulgaria defeat could prove instructive on Saturday.

"They'll provide a stiff test for us," he said of Belarus.

"It won't be dissimilar to the game probably in Bulgaria where we dealt with a more experienced team.

"We had to deal with the physicality, particularly in the early part of the game, but ultimately we came out on the wrong side of a 1-0 result. We want to make sure we address that."