Slovakia vs Northern Ireland: prediction & betting odds 14 November 2025

The Matchday 9 World Cup 2026 qualifying clash between Slovakia and Northern Ireland will take place on November 14 at the Košice Football Arena. Slovakia vs. Northern Ireland: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Slovakia

In the last round, the national team secured a 2-0 home victory over Luxembourg. This win marked their fourth in the last five World Cup qualifiers (1 defeat). Notably, Slovakia won all these matches with clean sheets. In Group A, Francesco Calzona's side has conceded only two goals, the best defensive record in the group. However, in terms of scoring, Slovakia lags behind two opponents. In the standings, the team is in 2nd place, and a victory in the upcoming game will secure a top-2 finish.

• Slovakia has scored at least twice in 5 of their last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.
• At home, the team has not lost in 10 of their last 11 World Cup qualifiers (8 wins, 2 draws).
• In 10 of their last 12 home matches in this tournament, Slovakia has not conceded more than one goal.

Predicted lineup for Slovakia (4-3-3)

Martin Dúbravka – Milan Škriniar, Adam Obert, Norbert Gyömbér, David Hancko – Stanislav Lobotka, Patrik Hrošovský, Matúš Bero – David Strelec, Dávid Ďuriš, Ivan Schranz.

Midfielder Ondrej Duda is suspended. Due to injuries, forward Adrian Kapralik, midfielder Mario Sauer, and defender Ľubomír Šatka will miss the game.

Northern Ireland

In the last round, the team suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Germany. For the first time in this qualification, Michael O'Neill's side failed to score, while they have conceded in three matches during this campaign. With 6 points, Northern Ireland is in third place in Group A, and to remain in contention for a World Cup finals spot, they cannot afford to drop points in the upcoming game. In this scenario, only a Luxembourg victory over Germany keeps their top-2 hopes alive.

• The team has scored in 5 of their last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.
• Away from home, they have not won in 6 of their last 8 matches in this tournament (1 draw, 5 losses).
• In 5 of their last 6 away matches in World Cup qualifying, the team has conceded exactly 1 or 2 goals.

Predicted lineup for Northern Ireland (4-5-1)

Bailey Peacock-Farrell – Ciaron Brown, Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Paddy McNair – Brad Lyons, George Saville, Justin Devenny, Isaac Price, Callum Marshall – Dion Charles.

Midfielder Ethan Galbraith is suspended. Due to injuries, defender Brodie Spencer and midfielders Shea Charles, Alistair McCann have not been called up.

Referee

Istvan Kovacs (Romania)

Matches – 6 (International matches, 2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 24;

Average yellow cards per match – 4;

Red cards shown – 0;

Average fouls per match – 31;

Penalties – 17%.

Slovakia vs. Northern Ireland: Match Prediction

Francesco Calzona's side is unlikely to want to leave the final group standings to the last round. Therefore, Slovakia should be highly motivated to secure three points in the upcoming game. At home, they have shown strong performances in World Cup qualifying, winning 8 of their last 11 matches (2 draws, 1 loss). Importantly, they have conceded more than one goal in only two of these matches and have kept clean sheets in seven.

Northern Ireland will need to take risks and push forward, as only a win will suffice. Their defense, already not the most reliable, will be even more vulnerable. The team has conceded in their last six away matches in World Cup qualifying. However, there have been no outright collapses during this stretch: only Germany has scored more than two goals against Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, they have lost 4 of their last 6 away matches in this tournament. With such results, their chances of earning points are slim.

My prediction: Slovakia win and Total under 3.5 goals