Faroe Islands - Northern Ireland Preview: Michael's men head to the Faroes full of hope

Michael O'Neill takes his Northern Ireland side to the Faroe Islands on Friday, hoping to take one step closer to the EURO 2016 finals. However Lars Olsen and the Faroe fans, who managed to sell out the game in 16 hours, will be keen to upset their opponents' apple cart.

Team news

Centre-back Atli Gregersen will miss the game on Friday due to suspension, which is a huge blow to the hosts hopes of containing Kyle Lafferty. Viljormur Davidsen is also not in the squad and will also be a big miss, even after Gilli Sørensen's impressive showing in his place at left-back.

Brandur Olsen, a very promising central midfielder with FC Copenhagen, is absent as well. His goal in the last game against Greece proved to be the crucial one, as they claimed an historic 2-1 win over Kostas Tsanas' side. Fródi Benjaminsen is at risk of suspension, should he pick up another booking.

Northern Ireland are not without injury worries, too. O'Neill has doubts over Chris Brunt, Steven Davis and Lafferty's fitness, though all three should be fine to start the first game of the crucial double header. Jamie Ward seems to be a virtual certainty to miss the match, with O'Neill admitting "realistically he has the least chance of making it" but he is being assessed on a "day to day" basis.

Billy McKay has already replaced Ben Reeves in the squad due to the MK Dons man's injury, though the rest of the squad are fit and ready to go. Only Brunt and Lafferty are at risk of missing the Hungary game on Monday, if they see yellow.

Form and key players

The Faroes take to the field after the aforementioned win against Greece, having completed the double over their Group F opponents. They were expected to the whipping boys but have been far from that, causing problems and putting in staunch defensive efforts in equal measure throughout qualifying. Now, most of their players have been picked up by Danish teams and the nation looks set to benefit massively from this.

Fródi Benjaminsen is their captain and the man who keeps things ticking over in the heart of midfield. His presence in front of the back four is vital to ensure that the Northern Irish wingers can't come inside and exploit the space, as well as preventing Oliver Norwood from rifling efforts towards goal from range. Gunnar Nielsen, who has spent most of his career in Scotland, will also need to perform well to help his side earn a result on Friday.

For the visitors, the campaign has been a roaring success. O'Neill had initially struggled in his first games as boss but has rapidly turned around the team's fortunes and has proven just why the Irish FA stuck behind him. Four wins, a draw and a defeat have set them up to secure qualification in this set of fixtures, knowing that two wins and a Romanian win over Hungary would secure their place in France.

It's quite obvious that the hopes of the nation are pinned on one man to grab the goals this week, and Kyle Lafferty seems to be relishing that role. Five goals in six games is better than some of Europe's elite footballers for goals scored during the campaign, and Stuart Dallas' rapid rise to stardom has also helped their cause. A mention must go to Michael McGovern, who wouldn't be undeserving of a start after his performance against Romania.

Previous meetings

On matchday two of the qualifying campaign, Northern Ireland were triumphant in Belfast when the sides last met. A lightning-quick start from the hosts gave them a two-nil lead within 20 minutes, with Gareth McAuley and Lafferty grabbing the goals. The Green and White Army did have Roy Carroll to thank for saving Benjaminsen's penalty not long after but held on for the three points with a strong second half showing.

The teams haven't played in the Faroe Islands for five years, and Northern Ireland will hope to avoid a repeat performance of their 1-1 draw in October 2010. Lafferty's strike only earned a point but, more importantly, spared Nigel Worthington's side from slipping to an embarrassing loss in Toftir. Having never lost against the Faroes, O'Neill will be hoping to continue that record on Friday evening.

Referee

Felix Zwayer will be the man in the middle on game day. The German official is one of the top Bundesliga referees, and has been since 2009. Zwayer was also appointed to the FIFA list of referees in 2012 and has since refereed plenty of UEFA Champions League and Europa League games.

The 34-year-old has never officiated Northern Ireland or the Faroe Islands before but this will be his fourth time in charge of a qualifier for a major international tournament. Zwayer was part of the team that headed out to New Zealand this summer for the FIFA under-20 World Cup.