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Northern Ireland get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway when they play host to Greece at the Windsor Park Stadium on Thursday.
Greece, meanwhile, will head into the game seeking to get one over the hosts, having lost each of the last two meetings between the sides.
Northern Ireland saw their unbeaten run come to an end in their last outing on March 29, when they fell to a 1-0 friendly defeat against Hungary.
Prior to that, Ian Baraclough’s side were on a run of three straight games without defeat, picking up two wins and one draw in that time.
Northern Ireland will now look to return to winning ways and get their Nations League campaign off to a flyer after crashing out in the group stages in 2020.
Similarly, Greece suffered a disappointing group-stage exit in 2020, when they enjoyed an unbeaten campaign but finished two points off group winners Slovenia.
The Ethniki were last in action on March 28 when they suffered a 1-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Montenegro.
Next up is the challenge of taking on an opposing side against whom they have lost each of the last two meetings between the teams.
Northern Ireland vs Greece Head-To-Head
Greece head into the game with a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, claiming four wins from their previous seven encounters. Northern Ireland have won three games in that time.
Northern Ireland Form Guide: L-W-D-W-L
Greece Form Guide: L-W-D-L-L
Northern Ireland vs Greece Team News
Northern Ireland
Ian Baraclough has called up 28 players for their upcoming Nations League fixtures, with the likes of Leicester City’s Jonny Evans, 27-year-old Paddy McNair and veteran forward Kyle Lafferty headlining the squad.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Greece
Champions League finalist Kostas Tsimikas is one of 27 players called-up to the national team, alongside Benfica star Odysseas Vlachodimos and skipper Tasos Bakasetas.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Northern Ireland vs Greece Predicted XI
Northern Ireland Predicted XI (3-4-3): Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Ciaron Brown, Jonny Evans, Daniel Ballard; Paddy McNair, Steven Davis, Alfie McCalmont, Niall McGinn; Gavin Whyte, Conor Washington, Kyle Lafferty
Greece Predicted XI (4-3-3): Odysseas Vlachodimos; George Baldock, Dinos Mavropanos, Giorgos Tzavellas, Kostas Tsimikas; Andreas Bouchalakis, Manolis Siopis, Tasos Bakasetas; Tasos Douvikas, Vangelis Pavlidis, Giorgos Masouras
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Northern Ireland vs Greece Prediction
Thursday’s game sees two evenly-matched sides go head-to-head and this makes for an exciting contest. While Northern Ireland and Greece have picked up two wins respectively from their last four encounters, we predict the spoils will be shared in this one, with both sides settling for a point apiece.
Prediction: Northern Ireland 1-1 Greece
