5 talking points as Northern Ireland end Nations League campaign in Luxembourg

Northern Ireland play the final game of their Nations League campaign away to Luxembourg on Monday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points head of the game.

Finish the job

Friday’s 2-0 win over Belarus has put Northern Ireland two points clear of Bulgaria going into their final fixture and a draw will be enough at the Stade de Luxembourg for Michael O’Neill’s men to earn promotion back to League B. Northern Ireland have not topped the standings in any competition since qualifying for Euro 2016 and although a campaign in the third tier of the Nations League does not carry anything like the same weight, it would still be an important marker for a young squad.

Win on the road

Northern Ireland have reached this point with a perfect record at Windsor Park, scoring nine and conceding none in three straight wins at home. Things have been different on the road, where they suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Bulgaria in September before being frustrated by Belarus in a 0-0 draw – played behind closed doors – in Hungary last month. O’Neill has now challenged his players to show they can win away from home before they go into next year’s World Cup qualifiers.

Problems at the back

Manage confidence

Pierce is the new number one