Northern Ireland vs Germany prediction, betting tips & team news: Visitors to take control in Group A

Northern Ireland welcome Germany to Windsor Park in the fourth of their World Cup qualification matches, with the hosts sitting in second place after three matches thanks to last week’s 2-0 win over Slovakia (7.45pm, BBC One).

Michael O'Neill’s side now have two wins from three games as they welcome Germany, with both nations – and Slovakia – all level on six points in what is one of the most open qualifying groups on the continent.

All three sides are firmly in the race for automatic qualification in Group A, and any sort of result for Northern Ireland tonight against one of the world’s top sides could prove vital come the end of the qualifying campaign.

Germany travel to the UK having beaten Luxembourg 4-0 last time out, while they also earned a simple 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland at home in September. However, the shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia in their first match of the campaign shows that Julian Nagelsmann’s side can be beaten in qualifying.

Nevertheless, betting sites have the visitors as the firm favourites, with Germany heavy favourites to come out on top and dent Northern Ireland’s hopes of heading to North America next summer.

While three out of four teams in Group A currently sit on six points, football betting sites are still heavily backing Germany to finish top, though Northern Ireland are regarded as the ‘second’ favourites.

The win over Slovakia last week proved their credentials in a tough section, though whether or not they can finish top may all rest on securing an unlikely win tonight.

Even a draw could be vital to finishing second and securing a play-off place, so it’s clearly all to play for at Windsor Park. However, the hosts come into the match in mixed form, having won three of their last five. The other two were losses – against Denmark and against tonight’s opponents in September – and the latter 3-1 result in Cologne highlights the gap in quality between these two sides.

However, the Germans have conceded goals in seven out of their last 10 matches – including to teams such as Slovakia and Hungary – while conceding seven times over their last five games.

In addition, Northern Ireland managed to score eight goals in their last five games, including the return fixture in Cologne in September, so we think they’ll be able to do so again despite Germany eventually earning the win tonight.

Northern Ireland vs Germany prediction 1: Germany to win, both teams to score - 19/10 Ladbrokes

It can be difficult to know what sort of starting XI Nagelsmann will put out due to the quality Germany have in attack, though former Arsenal man Serge Gnabry has so far featured heavily in the World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Bayern Munich winger has played over an hour in each match so far, and has scored two goals, with the most recent coming in the 48th minute against Luxembourg last time out.

The 30-year-old was effective against Northern Ireland last time too, scoring the opening goal in Germany’s 3-1 win in September.

Gnabry also has three goals in his last five Bundesliga matches, meaning he enters this match in fine form for both club and country, so we’re backing him to get the job done again at Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland vs Germany prediction 2: Serge Gnabry to score anytime - 6/5 Bet365

Northern Ireland: Captain Conor Bradley misses out tonight due to suspension, while first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles is still sidelined by a shoulder issue. Brodie Spencer could deputise for the former, while back-up goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell will likely continue in goal.

Germany: The visitors are missing several key men in the form of Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Antonio Rudiger, while Niclas Fullkrug is also unavailable due to a calf issue. In addition, Nico Schlotterbeck is a fitness concern after coming off against Luxembourg.

Nick Woltemade should find himself leading the line once again, supported by the in-form Gnabry and Florian Wirtz.

BoyleSports have a Monday Madness promotion running this week where bettors can claim a £5 free bet when they wager £15 or more on bet builders or accumulators.

Northern Ireland vs Germany is eligible for the offer, so bettors could wager £15 on a bet builder for Monday’s game and get a free bet in return.

Qualifying bets must be placed online and have minimum odds of 2/1 to be eligible.

Once the bet has been settled, Boyles will give bettors the £5 in free bets the following day. The free bet token can be used to wager on any sport.

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