Jim Magilton
Former Northern Ireland midfielder on BBC Radio Ulster

With every injury there's another opportunity, an opportunity to see other younger players go and experience it.

If you look at Trai Hume, Shea who's been fantastic, if you look at Conor emerging and Kennedy emerging.

So with every disappointment there's always a positive and again, they have to deal with this tonight.

Warren Feeney
Former Northern Ireland striker on BBC Radio Ulster

You don't want to concede an early goal like we did. The big thing is Kazakhstan will want a reaction after the Finland game.

They are hard to beat and they were hard to beat at Windsor so he'll have them set up early doors to keep it tight.

Here come the teams in Astana.

We'll have the anthems and then we'll be underway!

Aged 19 years and 346 days, when Isaac Price scored against Slovenia he became Northern Ireland's youngest goalscorer since Kyle Lafferty against Liechtenstein in August 2007, who was 19 years and 340 days.

At the other end of the scale, Jonny Evans scored his sixth international goal for Northern Ireland aged 35 years and 247 days, becoming their oldest goalscorer in a competitive game since Gareth McAuley against Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier in November 2016 (36 years 342 days).

Image source, Press Eye

Warren Feeney
Former Northern Ireland striker on BBC Radio Ulster

The positives were the goals we scored and seeing today with Conor Washington, that bit of pace up top and Kennedy and McMenamin, I thought he was exceptional the other night and if you can get him like he was on Thursday, I think we have a chance tonight.

Image source, Press Eye

Conor McMenamin is determined to keep taking his chances with Northern Ireland after his stand-out performance was the most encouraging thing about Thursday's damaging 4-2 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Slovenia.

The 28-year-old looked full of confidence after his summer move from Glentoran to St Mirren, and was involved in most of Northern Ireland's best play as they put in their strongest attacking performance of the qualifying campaign so far, if only they had not forgotten to close the back door behind them.

"I have mixed emotions," McMenamin said.

"Obviously performance wise I thought I did really well but we were really down in the dressing room because of the result.

"I feel like I'm really confident at the moment when I go on the pitch. Michael said to me before the game that he had watched me loads this season and to just keep doing what I had been doing.

"I tried to do that, going at my marker every time trying to make something happen and I thought I did that, going by him every time. Hopefully I can continue the fine form that I'm on and hopefully I can get a goal to add to it."

Mark Sterling
BBC Sport NI

There are a few different potential shapes in the starting line-up that Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has selected.

There could be a back three of Jonny Evans, Paddy McNair and the returning Daniel Ballard, but it is probably more likely that Evans and McNair will be at the centre of a back four in a 4-3-3, with McNair at right-back and Trai Hume on the left.

Shea Charles will no doubt anchor the midfield with Ali McCann and George Saville either side while Conor Washington - recalled to the team - through the middle up top with Conor McMenamin on the right and Matty Kennedy on the left.

Michael O'Neill has made three changes from Thursday's defeat in Slovenia.

The big news is that Danial Ballard has made it, which will boosts O'Neill's injury-hit defence.

Conor Washington and Ali McCann also come in, with the injured Ciaron Brown, goalscorer Isaac Price and Dion Charles the trio to make way.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Press Eye

Qualification for the 2026 World Cup does not start until March 2025, by which time players like Steven Davis, 38, Jonny Evans, 35, and Craig Cathcart, 34, could have big decisions to make on their future.

"There's a lot of natural evolution in this squad between now and then," O'Neill said.

"It's 16 months away, and we have to look at the picture as it evolves over a period of time, where older players are at a point in their career and with their club careers.

"It's not like we have a full pipeline of players available to come in and replace the older players.

"If anything, they are more valuable to us now than at any point. Their experience is invaluable, but also their leadership and influence on the younger players.

"The World Cup seems a lifetime away from where we are at the minute. The biggest thing for me is getting the injured players back - Steven Davis, Corry Evans and Stuart Dallas - but we've also missed out on the likes of Conor Bradley, Jamal Lewis, Shane Ferguson.

"Over the next number of months we need to give the squad a bit of strength. I don't think we're in a position to just draw a line and say we're going to go this way. I think we would be far too young and far too inexperienced."

We don't want to remind you too much about this, but it's 10 years to the day since Northern Ireland suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history in a 3-2 defeat by minnows Luxembourg.

Thankfully, there were happier days under Michael O'Neill to come.

Image source, Press Eye

Jim Magilton
Former Northern Ireland midfielder on BBC Radio Ulster

Totally be expecting a different start, a different mindset and he's probably set up the team to resemble that.

Northern Ireland have already played Kazakhstan once in this campaign and it ended in a narrow defeat.

The sides looked set to share the points, but Abat Aimbetov silenced the home support in the 88th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 win.

Northern Ireland will be hoping for revenge this evening.

Image source, press

Image source, Press Eye

Image source, Press Eye

Image source, Press Eye

John O'Neill
Former Northern Ireland defender on BBC Radio Ulster

It's a very tough game tonight and the fact that it's a plastic pitch accentuates that advantage as I never fancied playing on plastic pitches and I'm sure majority of players don't.

Mark Sterling
BBC Sport NI

It was another defeat and it all-but-ended their qualification hopes, but there was still something really refreshing about Northern Ireland's approach in Slovenia on Thursday night.

Michael O'Neill's sides are normally built from a solid defensive base, with the emphasis on keeping their shape and being compact.

That went out the window in Ljubljana as Northern Ireland produced a helter-skelter performance of attacking football, creating plenty of chances and making for an entertaining match.

The flip side, unfortunately, was that the team was exposed at the back and the defensive errors proved costly. It led O'Neill to suggest in his pre-match press conference that he will be changing his approach for Kazakhstan.

A lot of fans would take more of the same - but we'll soon find out.

Image source, Press Eye

Michael O'Neill will alter the look of his Northern Ireland side for Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Kazakhstan.

The NI boss has admitted their attacking approach came with a cost in Thursday's 4-2 loss in Slovenia, which effectively ended qualification hopes.

"I think it was to do with how we were without the ball," said O'Neill.

"It was more of a structural thing than a risk versus reward situation. The shape of our team out of possession could have been better," he added.

Northern Ireland played their most positive football in some time in Ljubljana, creating more chances than the hosts, but were too easily picked off at the other end.

A long flight to Astana has given O'Neill plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong for his side after injuries forced him into a change of shape, switching to a back four.

"There's a balance. We went through some stuff with the players. We've changed the system.

"We played with one system for the first four games and then changed the system for game five with not a lot of time to do that if I'm honest.

"Maybe there's things in that we didn't get embedded in the players enough to let them see that."

Image source, Press Eye

Northern Ireland defenders Craig Cathcart and Ciaron Brown have been ruled out of Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Kazakhstan in Astana.

Both centre-backs suffered injuries during the 4-2 defeat to Slovenia which all but ended lingering NI hopes of qualifying for next year's finals.

Another central defender, Daniel Ballard, was deemed unfit to play any part in the loss in Ljubljana.

Midfielder Shea Charles ended up joining Jonny Evans in central defence.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill had already found his squad badly hit by the absence of a plethora of senior players for the September Group H double-header. Ballard's unavailability for the encounter with the Slovenians followed, and Cathcart and Brown have joined the absentees.

Image source, Press Eye

Michael O'Neill was looking for the moment that would ignite Northern Ireland's campaign, much like the famous win in Budapest nine years ago that was the launchpad for the Euro success to come.

He didn't quite get that, but we did see another side to this Northern Ireland team in what was a chaotic and entertaining display, but ultimately a disappointing result.

Usually so steady at the back, Northern Ireland were all at sea and shipped four goals to Slovenia with the defence chopping and changing as the injury woes piled up.

But fans did see a more attacking display from a team which so often struggles for goals. Here they created chance after chance, with Conor McMenamin and Shea Charles at the heart of everything positive.

It was refreshing to see, and there were some standout performances, but Northern Ireland's slim hopes of reaching Euro 2024 are now virtually extinguished.

Read more.

Here we go again!

Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 dreams may be all but over, but Michael O'Neill's side will have to reset quickly as they face Kazakhstan in Astana.

In front of 150 travelling fans who have made the long trek, Northern Ireland will be looking to bounce back from Thursday's somewhat chaotic, yet entertaining defeat in Slovenia.

We'll have live updates and live commentary, so make sure you join us for all the latest!