Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has named his 26-man squad ahead of the upcoming EURO 2016 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Hungary. They travel to the former on September 4th before welcoming Hungary to Windsor Park three days later.

There were no surprises in Wednesday's announcement, which saw the same faces that helped them to such a strong position after the opening six group games included. Northern Ireland currently sit second in Group F, having won four of their matches, and have set themselves up to qualify for their first major tournament since 1986.

Doubts over fitness erased

In fact, Kyle Lafferty's five goal haul puts them in contention to enter the finals of a European Championship for the very first time. The Norwich City forward was a doubt for the two games but his inclusion in the Canaries' Capital One Cup squad was a relief to both O'Neill and the infamous Green and White Army.

Jonny Evans' fitness may be a concern for the NI boss, however. The centre-back has yet to feature for Louis van Gaal's side in their Premier League or UEFA Champions League qualifying campaigns, but this has been the case before and Evans has excelled beside the sturdy Gareth McAuley.

The Northern Ireland squad to face Faroe Islands and Hungary:

Goalkeepers: Roy Carroll (Notts County), Alan Mannus (St. Johnstone), Michael McGovern (Hamilton Academical).

Defenders: Aaron Hughes (Melbourne City FC), Chris Baird (Derby County), Gareth McAuley (West Bromwich Albion), Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Lee Hodson (MK Dons), Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town), Patrick McNair (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Chris Brunt (West Bromwich Albion), Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers), Oliver Norwood (Reading), Patrick McCourt (Luton Town), Stuart Dallas (Leeds United), Ben Reeves (MK Dons).

Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Norwich City), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest), Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock), Will Grigg (Wigan Athletic), Liam Boyce (Ross County), Caolan Lavery (Sheffield Wednesday).

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Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]