World Cup Qualification - Round 2 Preview

All of the Home Nations as well as the Republic of Ireland are in action over the incoming days in crucial qualification matches for the 2018 World Cup set to be staged in Russia. Wales and Republic Of Ireland are in action tonight, with the former travelling to Austria and the latter hosting Georgia. Northern Ireland and Scotland host San Marino and Lithuania respectively, while England welcome minnows, Malta to Wembley Arena on Saturday.

Austria v Wales

The Austrians were largely tipped as potential dark horses in Euro 2016, but failed to live up to the hype as they crashed out in the group stages, recording losses against Iceland and Hungary. Both sides have not met since 2013, when Wales recorded a 2-1 home win in a friendly match. The last five matches have been tight, Austria recording 3 victories to Wales' 2. With Wales defeating Georgia 4-0 in the previous match, Chris Coleman's men sit ahead of their opponents on goal difference, compared to Austria's 2-1 win over Georgia.

A difficult challenge lies in wait for the Red Dragons, particularly as Aaron Ramsey is still injured with Jonny Williams, Danny Ward and Simon Church joining the Arsenal midfielder on the injury list. Still feeding off the momentum of a superb Euros, Wales have the confidence to return home with a good result.

Prediction: Draw

Republic of Ireland v Georgia

Keeping with the Group D theme, Ireland face a side whom they defeated twice in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. An Aidan McGeady wonder strike stole the points for the Irish when the sides met in Tbilisi while Jonathon Walters netted at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. A 2-2 draw with Serbia in round 1 leaves Ireland behind Wales and Austria while Georgia's 2-1 loss against Austria leaves them pointless. The Georgians have never won a point against the home side, Ireland winning 7 from 7 games, scoring 15 goals in the process.

Despite a lengthy injury list for Martin O'Neill, the team will be given a boost after James McCarthy was declared fit to play. RoI are always a different side to face at home - just ask Germany - and it should be a mandatory 3 points for the home side.

Prediction: Republic of Ireland by 2 goals.

Northern Ireland v San Marino

Ahead of a tough game against Germany on Tuesday, Michael O'Neill will be looking to come through the clash with San Marino unscathed. The visitors have only scored 1 goal in their last 5 games, against Lithuania shipping 22 in the process, including a 10-0 romp against Croatia. NI faced San Marino in the 2010 World Cup qualification, winning with an aggregate scoreline of 7-0. David Healy, Grant McCann, Kyle Lafferty and Steven Davis netted in the home leg, while Gareth McAuley and Chris Brunt added to another McCann goal in the away leg.

Despite the withdrawals of Liam Boyce and Craig Cathcart, Northern Ireland will be expected to win this convincingly. With a crunch match against Germany coming into view, Northern Ireland cannot risk any more injuries.

Prediction: Northern Ireland by 3 goals.

Scotland v Lithuania

A disappointing Euro 2016 qualifying campaign left Scotland the only British side not at the tournament. With an easier group this year, Gordon Strachan will be hoping to finally end his wait  for an outing to a major competition. These sides have met on 4 previous occasions in Euro 2008 and 2012 qualifiers with Scotland winning 3 matches. Their opponents earned a respectable draw against Slovenia in the opening game week, despite a late Bostjan Cesar header denying them all three points. The Lithuanians have never qualified for a major tournament since they split from the Soviet Union.

The withdrawal of Alan Hutton is the only injury concern for Strachan, due to a calf injury picked up in training on Monday. Regardless, Scotland will be expected to add to their 3 points picked up in game week one with a win at home.

Prediction: Scotland by 2.

England v Malta.

After recovering from the embarrassment surrounding the case of Sam Allardyce, England have no greater opportunity to put in a confident performance against group minnows, Malta. Both sides have only met on three other occasions, but haven't met since a friendly in the build up to Euro 2000 and before that faced off in 1971. A 5-1 defeat against Scotland was not the way they wanted to open their campaign and the Maltese side are expected to be propping up the rear of the table come the end of the qualifying phase.

New boss Gareth Southgate has had to deal with the injuries to Glen Johnson and Raheem Sterling with Michael Keane and Andros Townsend being drafted in as replacements. No matter what team England put out they will be expected and should beat Malta with ease.

Prediction: England by 5.

Euro Qualifying Round 5 Preview

You either love or hate the international break. It's like Marmite and I love it. No, not the spread, the football. We're back for Round 5 of the Euro 2016 Qualifying campaign and the home nations will be looking to be one step closer to the tournament come Monday.

England kick us off on Friday night with a tie against Lithuania. It should be a relatively straightforward tie in a relatively simple group for Roy Hodgson's men. With England at the top of the pile with four wins out of four, another three would be a step closer to booking their flights on the plane across the channel to France next summer. All the lights will be on Harry Kane who is set to win his first cap for his country. I don't think there could have been a more suited tie for his debut as the Three Lions are expected to coast past a side sitting fourth in the group. A call up for Kane has been well deserved considering his goal scoring form this year. Another Spurs player, Ryan Mason has also been included for the first time who has replaced the injured Adam Lallana. It will be a massive shock if England do not win at home, meaning that Hodgson can use the youth that he has at his disposal.

Wales face a difficult trip to Jerusalem to face Israel in a tricky group B game. Currently sitting behind Israel in the table, it will be a titanic battle to see who will come out on top. Neither side has met each other in a competitive fixture since since Wales beat them 4-0 to progress to the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden - their only appearance in the competition to date. Israeli International football is going through a rough time as of late, with many fans getting apprehensive over their sides recent failures to qualify for a major competition. Without someone of the calibre of Gareth Bale, I doubt whether Wales would be able to go their and get any sort of a result. However, with the recent tension between Madristas and Bale, he will probably see this as a welcome break to get away from all the pressures he faces in his everyday life as a Real Madrid footballer. I don't think Wales will be able to come away with all three points, but I do think that Bale can rescue a vital draw for the Dragons, and give them confidence going into the remaining qualifying matches.

Some may say that Scotland face a 'week off' when they take on Gibraltar at home on Saturday, but we all know that they can turn the easiest of games into a battle in recent years. However, Gordon Strachan and Scotland seem to be on an upward turn this campaign, with a respectable performance against Germany and a wins against the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Gibraltar will not offer any competition to Scotland and I would expect them to put at least 3 goals past them. This would give Strachan the opportunity to try other combinations to ensure that is side has strength in depth for the rest of the qualifying campaign. Level on points with Germany and the Republic of Ireland, they will be looking to distance themselves from their Irish neighbours. They don't have as good a goal difference as Ireland, and with them facing leaders Poland, they will be hoping to score goals, particularly if this group is decided on goal difference. A couple of early goals, could see Gibraltar fold, and a barrage of goals could follow. Scotland to win comfortably.

As mentioned previously, the other team in Group D, Republic of Ireland face a crunch match against Poland in the Aviva Stadium. Having beaten the World Champions already in the group phase, Poland will go into this match with confidence and will hope to pile the pressure onto Germany. It will be a tough ask on Sunday, particularly with the injuries to several key men. Darren Gibson has returned to Merseyside after suffering a groin injury. Concerns have been raised over the fitness of Burnley fullback, Stephen Ward, who is doubtful also with an ankle injury. After limping off a training session earlier this week, James McClean was confirmed that he will be '100% ready to play' come kick off on Sunday. With Scotland facing an easy task and Germany travelling to Georgia, there is no room for error for Martin O'Neill's men. A 'play for a draw' mentality could back fire and leave them on the back foot, playing catch up for the rest of campaign, if they harbour any ambitions to qualify for the finals. It's a must win game, and also a tricky affair. The crowd could play a massive part in an Irish victory and I am predicting a smash and grab job for O'Neill's men. 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland.

Last but not least, Northern Ireland hope to continue their impressive start to the qualifying campaign with a game against Finland on Sunday. A win would see them move onto 12 points level with Romania, who are likely to beat the Faroe Islands at the weekend. Lee Hodson has been called up to replace the injured Paul Paton who was set to make his debut appearance. Also on the injury front, Sammy Clingan and Shane Ferguson were ruled out and both will be blows to Michael O'Neill. Top scorer, Kyle Lafferty is set to play, while Jonny Evans is set to make his return to competitive international football after a 16 month lay off. Looking at Finland, they sit in fourth position, five points behind their opposition. Expect the crowd to get behind the Green and White Army, and I wouldn't be surprised if Finland were to become the latest victim of Michael O'Neill's Ulstermen. I think Northern Ireland can sneak it, 1-0.

It's the new year in the qualifying calendar, and every one of the Home Nation sides will be hoping to carry their form from 2014 into 2015. Round 5 marks the half way point, and teams will be on the home straight in order to confirm their place on the plane to France next summer. An intriguing weekend of international football awaits. 

Euro Qualifying Round 4 Preview

In this round of the European Qualifying, I'm only previewing four matches, but the quality will certainly make up for one less match.

There is not a better way to kick us off with a crunch tie where Scotland take on the Republic of Ireland. Even though Scotland defender Steven Whittaker has calmed the significance of winning on Friday night, a win would send them level on points with their opponents who lie behind Poland in the standings. BBC have reported that James McCarthy is doubtful which will be a big miss in the centre of the park for the Republic. While both teams will be after maximum points on Saturday, a draw is looking likely. We can expect a few rough challenges from each team who will want to leave their mark on each other as they push for qualification to France in 2016.  The Republic of Ireland will be looking to keep the pace with Poland at the top of the standings who face an away trip to Georgia and would be expected to record another 3 points.

My home country, Northern Ireland have enjoyed a splendid campaign to date, collecting a maximum of 9 points in our opening 3 matches, but the task facing us on Friday night will be bigger than any we have faced in the current campaign. The loss of captain, Steve Davis is a massive blow, particularly when it is coupled with the injury to Jamie Ward, who has been a breath of fresh air this time out. Manager, Michael O'Neill, has called up Manchester United youngster, Paddy McNair, and he could make a brief cameo, especially if the fitness of Aaron Hughes is lacking. Looking at the opposition, they seem to be going through a period of transition having removed their manager last month. The Romanians will be forced to play in front of an empty stadium with exception to the raucous created by the travelling Northern Irish support due to crowd trouble at their last match against Hungary. I'm sure the fans would settle for a draw, but knowing O'Neill, I'm convinced he will want to win this match and extend his lead at the top. 2-1 Norn Iron.

With Wayne Rooney playing down his talents earlier this week, it's unlikely that he will need to utilise his full capabilities against Slovenia in 2 days. Despite injuries to Andros Townsend and Michael Carrick, the English fans and media expect nothing short than a commanding victory against a team ranked 36th in the World. England U21 international, Saido Berahino has dazzled the Premier League this season and last with several sparkling performances and some have argued that he is long overdue a call-up to the senior squad. As for their opponents, Slovenia, they lie in second position behind England in Group F after shocking the Swiss at home and comfortably dispatching Lithuania in Vilnius. Striker, Milivoje Novaković has netted all 3 goals for the central European side, so no doubt Roy Hodgson has done his homework on the 35 year old. Slovenia possess Samir Handanovic who is a monster in nets and has saved 3 penalties this season already for Internazionale. It will be a victory for England, but somewhere someone will complain about something.

It's a massive night for Wales as they travel to take on a Belgium side who has been relatively disappointing in this campaign and find themselves 3 points of the Welsh pace-setters at the top of the group, albeit they have a game in hand. It's obvious that Wales would like to batten down the hatches and get out of Brussels with a point, but there may be a sense of optimism as if they get Gareth Bale running full tilt at a Belgian defence then they can cause all sorts of problems for a defence who has only conceded a goal in this campaign. Wales have been no means spectacular so far, narrowly edging out the Andorrans, drawing with the Bosnians before an unconvincing home victory over Cyprus. Belgium were disappointing by everyone's standards at the World Cup this year and will be hoping to capitalise on an excellent squad that they now possess in time for France 2016, providing they get there of course. As for the outcome, I’m going to say 2-1 Belgium.

Let's be hoping for positive score lines all round over the break. With teams only playing one match this time around, a victory each would set them up perfectly for over Christmas. The march to France continues.

Euro Qualifying Summary - Rounds 2&3

Another handful of matches have been played now and things are looking relatively rosy for the Home Nations. 

Starting with England, they picked up 2 wins from the the games they played over the international break, albeit against exceedingly weak opposition. Having defeated minnows San Marino last Wednesday by five goals, fans on Sports Yapper were still critical over the performance. Captain Wayne Rooney moved 6 goals behind Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 49 international goals, and with the group that England have, I reckon it will be beaten within the remaining matches. The matches against Estonia and San Marino have proved that England don't need to play at their best to succeed in this group. Having not conceded a goal with three games down, a clean sheet at the conclusion of the tournament will certainly be on the mind of Roy Hodgson.

The Republic of Ireland's matches both entailed two very different challenges - whether you can call the home match against Gibraltar a challenge is a different argument altogether. Robbie Keane netted an 18 minute hat trick in a compelling 7-0 victory over the minnows. What was most notable about the week's fixtures for the Republic was the last minute equaliser from a new centurian in John O'Shea. Having been a rock in the Irish defence for the last thirteen years, it was fitting that he should be the hero on his 100th cap. Toni Kroos opened the scoring in the second half with a shot that deflected of the post and into the net, before O'Shea tied the game with minutes left on the clock. The Republic of Ireland are sitting pretty in second position behind Poland. With Germany firing blanks, the momentum is currently with the Irish side.

Scotland got their qualifying campaign up and running last Saturday with a less than emphatic victory over Georgia at Ibrox. Throughout the game, the Scots dominated in every facet of the game. The home side had 63% possession and recorded 5/17 shots on target, but it took an own goal from Akaki Khubutia on 28 minutes to separate the sides. The 3 points would stand Gordon Strachan's side in good stead as they travelled to Warsaw on Tuesday to face a side who had beaten the World Champions last time out. Scotland came away from the Polish capital with a well earned point after Arkadiusz Milik levelled for the home side on 76 minutes. After going 1-0 down to a Krzysztof Maczynski finish on 11 minutes, Shaun Maloney equalised before an adroit finish from Steven Naismith put them in the lead. Strachan will be pleased with the points picked up and will look to catch the Ireland, whom they entertain next month.

 

Friday night saw Wales take on a useful Bosnian outfit and where able to come out with a draw which saw them stay at the top of the table, even if it was only for a short time. Each side began the first half with a tentative approach, while the second half was set alight with an onslaught of chances at each end, but neither were able to break the deadlock. Moving onto the game on Monday night where Wales hosted Cyprus, a win would cement them on top of the table ahead of Belgium, and Chris Coleman's boys delivered. This game should have been a lot more comfortable than suggested, particularly as Wales raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 25 minutes. Cyprus were able to half the deficit 10 minutes before the break, which gave them optimism for the second period. Midfielder Andy King, received his marching orders after a reckless tackle minutes into the second half, but his side were able to hold onto the three points. 

 

Northern Irish fans have been living in paradise for the last week, with more than convincing victories over the Faroe Islands and Greece. What was particularly impressive about these performances, was the management skills of Michael O'Neill, particularly as he was able to change the tactics up to suit the challenges posed by each nation. Two heartening matches from Kyle Lafferty ensured that he took his goal tally to 3 goals this campaign and was a handful for each set of centre backs. Northern Ireland piled more misery on Greece, a side ranked 57 places higher than their opposition, and some may argue that 2-0 was flattering on the former European Champions. O'Neill has his side well drilled and playing nice football so confidence will not be lacking when they take the trip to Bucharest next month.

I don't know about you, but I'm quite looking forward to the next international break in November, and it throws up some mouth-watering encounters. Northern Ireland travel to Bucharest to take on second placed Romania, while Scotland and Ireland lock horns at Celtic Park. England welcome Slovenia to Wembley and Wales travel to meet Belgium.     

Euro Qualifying Round 2 Preview

We're back for another instalment of Euro Qualifying action, with England kicking us off against San Marino on Thursday night. Yet again, the international break is greeted with the same grumblings and rumblings that we have been accustomed to, so in order to lighten the blow, here's my prediction on the fortunes of the Home Nations this weekend.

 

There's no points awarded for guessing the outcome of the England v San Marino game, and I expect it to be as one sided as a FIFA match on amateur. BetVictor make the principality 80/1 to beat the hosts, and frankly, you have more chance seeing the Loch Ness Monster than seeing a San Marino victory. At Wembley, Roy Hodgson will treat anything less than 5 goals as a failure, and if they were to concede, well, it would be well documented in the media the following morning, regardless of the result. With Daniel Sturridge unavailable due to injury, Danny Welbeck will be hoping to add on his 2 goals scored against Switzerland, and will certainly be eyeing a hat trick - and I expect him to get it. In short, it will be nothing more than a training game for England, and I'm not expecting any dazzling activities from the away team. I'll go for a modest 7-0.

Next up we have the Republic of Ireland entertaining newly recognised, Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Having lost to Poland 7-0 in their first ever European Qualifying game, it'll probably be one-way traffic for the Irishmen. The Republic of Ireland will look to capitalise on their 2-1 defeat of Georgia last time out, at the same time as increasing their goal difference. Manager Martin O'Neill could see this as a perfect opportunity to experiment, particularly if they have an unassailable lead at the interval. Hull City fullback, Brian Lenihan was handed a surprise call-up and could make his international debut on Saturday against Gibraltar, particularly as Everton star, Seamus Coleman hasn't recovered from a concussion he received so will not feature. Similarly his club mate, James McCarthy will also not make an appearance against the Gibraltans. I expect Ireland to win this by a comfortable margin, 4-0.

Now our attention turns to the Scots as they entertain Georgia at 5pm on Saturday. An encouraging performance against the World Cup Winners, Gordon Strachan will be hoping that his team can carry the momentum through to this game. Although they lost against Germany, there were many positives to be taken and I'm sure that Scotland will be expecting nothing but a win from this encounter. Their opponents, Georgia, will be looking to bounce back after an Aiden McGeady strike sealed their fate in the dying embers of the game. The Georgians will be out to get points on the board and stop the Scots from getting their tournament up and running. I do think Strachan's men will be able to overcome the challenge offered by the Georgians, particularly as the Georgian legend, Shota Arveladze criticised the away side for having a lack of flair. 1-0 Scotland.

My wee country, Northern Ireland take on the Faroe Islands on Saturday at 7:45pm. After a tremendous comeback away to Hungary last time out, the onus will be on the home side to capitalise on their excellent start. With Jonny Evans injured, Michael O'Neill was set to call up Paddy McNair to his squad, but an ongoing ankle injury has prevented him from winning his first international cap, weeks after gaining his first senior appearance for Manchester United. Sitting poised in second position, Northern Ireland face a tricky trip to Athens after the game, so 3 points is imperative to keep the momentum running. For the Faroe Islands, they suffered an opening game week defeat at home to Finland. As with Northern Ireland over the years, they have always produced inspiring performances against the top dogs, but when it comes to the minnows, they struggle. Let's home that our fortunes have changed as they attempt to beat the Faroe Islands at the weekend. 1-0 Northern Ireland.

Last but not least, we have Wales. Last time out, it took a late Gareth Bale free kick to walk away from Andorra with 3 points. Now, they face Bosnia at home as they hope to produce a better performance this time around. Wales will be missing key midfielders such as Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey due to injury, however Galactico, Gareth Bale will play, fresh from his 90 minute drubbing of Athletic Bilbao at the weekend. No doubt Bale will decide the outcome of the tie, and, if he puts in a performance that we come to expect from him, he could win the maych for Wales. If Wales reproduce a performance similar to the one they delivered against Andorra, then expect another nervy game for the Welsh fans, resulting in a loss. With key names out for Wales, I am going for a 2-1 win for Bosnia. Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic will be able to take advantage of the notable absentees.

Another weekend of international football is ahead of us and we take one step closer to the finals in France 2016. Hopefully we can relive 1958, the last time all of the Home Nations qualified for a major tournament.

Euro 2016 Qualifying Summary - Round 1

I find it very hard to believe that it has been almost 2 months since Philip Lahm lifted the Jules-Rimet trophy for Germany and now, the Home Nations embark on another mission to reach the 2016 European Championships in France. With everyone playing away from home, the nations from the Emerald Isles kicked off the qualifiers and both delivered impressive performances:

Kyle Lafferty celebrating 88th minute winner 

Northern Ireland travelled to Budapest to take on Hungary in the newly opened FTC Groupama Arena. Things started positively but Northern Irish fans thought it was normal service resumed when former Watford man, Tamas Priskin headed the ball past Roy Carroll. The equaliser came 7 minutes later when Kyle Lafferty squared the ball after a dazzling run and substitute Niall McGinn was on hand to slot into an empty net. Lafferty turned scorer as he was able to bundle a cross into the back of the net and take the three points back to Belfast. The Green and White Army will be spurred on by this pleasing result and a terrific performance to go with it and could this be the year where they qualify for their first ever European Championship? I certainly hope so!  Windsor Park hosts the next qualifier against the Faroe Islands on the 11th October.



Aiden McGeady beats the Georgian keeper

Our Southern friends, and Aiden McGeady in particular were able to stage a fine performance in a 2-1 win over Georgia in Tbilisi. McGeady, assisted by James McCarthy, scored his first goal on 33 minutes through a left footed shot inside the box into the back of the net. Their lead didn't last too long as the Georgians equalised 4 minutes later through a shot from Tornike Okriashvili outside the box. After the break, the home side decided to up the ante and continued to press but were unable to get past a solid Irish defence and test 'keeper, David Forde. Similar to their Northern counterparts, it took a late strike from McGeady to seal the 3 points and an unbeaten start to the campaign. A home game against Gibraltar awaits O'Neill's men on 11th October.

 

Ikechi Anya in disbelief having equalised with Germany

Scotland certainly had the hardest task of the Home Nations as they travelled to the Signal Iduna Stadium to take on the World Champions. 5000 hardy Scotsman made the journey to Dortmund on Sunday evening and chorus' of  "Flower of Scotland" were heard throughout the night. As per usual, Thomas Muller was a nightmare to mark and it the Bayern man 18 minutes to open the Germans account after a looping header over stranded David Marshall. Scotland did have chances but Steven Naismith was unable to convert from on 48 minutes. Winger, Ikechi Anya had plenty of joy down the left flank and was able to capitalise when debutant, Sebastian Rudy was caught out of position to equalise. Thomas Muller netted his second minutes later after a classic Sunday league scramble in the box with a toe into the roof of the net. Scotland, spurred on by the Tartan Army, pushed for an equaliser but to no avail. They take on Georgia in their next match.



Danny Welbeck scores his second goal of the night.

After a rather shambolic turnout at the World Cup and a poor performance against Norway on Friday, England had to build bridges and prepare for 2016. Many, included myself, expected England to struggle against the Swiss, however a solid team performance guided England to a 2-0 victory in Basel. Both teams had chances in the opening exchanges but it wasn't until a counter-attack from England in the 58th minute that saw the deadlock being broken when Danny Welbeck was able to convert a swift English counter. Switzerland were knocking on the English door but a Joe Hart halted proceedings. Sub, Josip Drmic had a magnificient opportunity but Gary Cahill pulled off a terrific goal line block to keep England's goal intact. Welbeck put the game beyond doubt 2 minutes from time with a side foot shot into the bottom of the net.

 

 

Gareth Bale celebrating his winner over Andorra

The last of my featured games is Wales' trip to the principality in the Pyrenees, Andorra expecting a routine victory. However Andorra obviously had not read the script as they took the lead with a penalty in the opening exchanges, their first competitive goal in 4 years. Wales found the principality difficult to break down but a superb early cross from Ben Davies allowed Gareth Bale to leap like salmon and guide the ball into the opposite corner of the net. For much of the second half Andorra frustrated Wales with their time wasting and rough tackles and it was evident that this did have an affect on the professionals. Eventually, with 10 minutes left, Bale stepped up and lashed a venomous free kick into the back of the net. Much improvement will be needed as the Welshmen face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their next match.

 

Excellent displays from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland grants them a platform to build on while Scotland can take heart from a terrific performance against the World Champions. England seem to be heading in the right direction and Wales have plenty of work to be doing on the training field after being bailed out by their talisman. 

Euro 2016 Qualifying Draw

It seems like yesterday that we were congratulating Spain on their 2nd consecutive Euro Championship victory. Now that the World Cup is just around the corner, the qualifying groups for Euro 2016, could add more misery upon English fans or else deliver some over due luck to the rest of the Home Nations.

The Home Nations have not all qualified for major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, which is Wales' only appearance in a high profile competition to date. The new structure of the tournament will provide renewed hope for minnows such as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The tournament has been revamped, allowing 24 teams, instead of the usual 16 to compete in the finals. The top 2 nations from each pool will qualify automatically along with the best third placed team. The 8 remaining third placed sides enter a 2 legged affair in order to decide the last 4 spots in France 2016. Among the home nations, this will give Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland confidence that they can scrape through.

Here, I will assess the chances of each of the Home nations qualifying for France 2016:

Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

We all predict the Belgians to run riot in this group and qualify with ease, however, second place is slightly more difficult. Bosnia or Israel are more likely, however, Wales and Gareth Bale must be fancying their chances here. Cyprus and Andorra are easy 6 pointers for the Welsh. On the other hand, a point against Belgium would feel like a moral victory. Israel could prove a stumbling block, but they would be looking for at least 3 points from that tie. Wales against Bosnia will see Gareth Bale face Edin Dzeko. Bosnia have a few players that could cause Wales several problems, including Dzeko, Asmir Begovic and Miralem Pjanic. In my opinion, this group presents Wales' best opportunity to qualify for a major international tournament for the first time since 1958.

Group D: Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

Group D, or Group of Death, as most Scots and Irish would refer to it as. Germany will be too strong for Ireland and Scotland while Poland will test them. Buoyed on by competing in 2012, Ireland will believe that they can upset Poland in order to pinch that 2nd place. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening. Poland are a classy outfit with quality players in Lewandowski and Obraniak and Piszczek and will be able to neutralise the challenge of the Irish. The games against Georgia and newly qualified Gibraltar, should be relatively straightforward for both the Scots and the Irish. As for Scotland, they should be aiming to pip the Republic to 3rd place. In spite of this, 4th is my prediction for Scotland, narrowly missing on that play-off position.

Group E: England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

Yet again England receive a relatively easy group. Whether they can remove the complacency commonly associated with them is another thing. In my opinion, England should be aiming for an unbeaten campaign. The Swiss are the only likely team to trouble the English and Roy Hodgson can use this group as an excellent opportunity to blood some young players such as Wilfried Zaha, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley. With the right coaching, the future of the English team is looking bright for the foreseeable future. As for the rest of the qualifying places, I expect Switzerland to claim the second spot with Slovenia just behind in third.

Group F: Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

Born and bred in the greatest little country that the world has ever seen, I'm am a bit less pessimistic than I was last year. The lowest seeds of the home nations, Michael O'Neill's men will be looking to sneak a third spot in order to erase memories of a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign. While there are no 'giants' in Group F for Steven Davis and co to slay, a good tournament performance and the glory days of '82 and '86 may be revisited. 'Norn Iron' will be looking to end a dismal Euro performance in recent years and hope to qualify for their first ever Euro competition in 2016, yet it will be tough. Particularly the away games, most notably to Greece. The games against the Faroe Islands, will be targeted as 2 must win games. Belief in their national team is something that 'Our Wee Country' does not lack, however the form needs improving.

The draw has shifted the focus from the highly anticipated World Cup albeit for today, but the new format and the groups will give the smaller teams confidence in their ability to qualify for France 2016. Whether we can get all the home nations on the plane to France is unlikely, but not impossible.

Full draw:

Group A - Holland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan

Group B - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

Group C - Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia, Luxembourg

Group D - Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

Group E - England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

Group F - Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

Group G - Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein

Group H - Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta

Group I - Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania, France*

*France qualify as hosts, but will play friendlies against teams in Group I. There will be no points awarded for games in which France figure, so these will have no affect on the Group I table.

Qualifiers to be played between September 7, 2014 and October 13, 2015. Play-off matches to be played in November 2015.

My Prediction:

England - 1st

Scotland - 4th

Wales - 3rd (defeat in play offs)

Northern Ireland - 3rd (qualify) (Because I'm an optimist!)

Republic of Ireland - 3rd (qualify)