Price scored his 10th international goal against Germany in Cologne
2026 World Cup qualifiers: Northern Ireland v Slovakia; Northern Ireland v Germany
Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Dates: Friday, 10 October & Monday, 13 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage details: NI v Slovakia live on BBC Two in UK and on BBC One NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website; NI v Germany live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website. Both matches live on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Ulster, with live text commentary, in-play clips, highlights and reaction on the BBC Sport website.
Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price has expressed the team’s “confidence” and a touch of “arrogance” as they prepare to face formidable opponents.
Under the guidance of Michael O’Neill, the squad is gearing up for two crucial matches at Windsor Park, pivotal in their quest to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. They will first host Slovakia on Friday before facing Germany on Monday.
Northern Ireland currently holds three points from their initial two away games, securing a victory in Luxembourg before a 3-1 defeat against Germany in Cologne.
Slovakia currently leads Group A with two wins, including a notable home victory against Germany. While acknowledging the challenges ahead, the squad remains confident in leveraging their home advantage.
“Every time I pull on the Northern Ireland shirt I feel confident and that I’m going to score goals,” the West Bromwich Albion players told BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson.
“I always feel we are going to get good results as there are a lot of top players in this squad and a real confidence, maybe a little bit of arrogance we can go and beat these top teams.
“Personally and as a team, there’s still loads to develop on and I think that’s where Michael is getting it right at the moment.
“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve had a few good results but we’ve also had some results that have been really bad over the past year, so it’s trying to get to the middle ground of consistency.”
Price reflected on his performance in the 3-1 win against Luxembourg, admitting he “didn’t play well” despite an early penalty being rebounded for a goal by Jamie Reid.
However, he rebounded with a goal against Germany, bringing his international total to 10, and credited manager Michael O’Neill for instilling the confidence needed to perform against the four-time world champions.
“It’s about not getting too high when things are going well or getting too low when they aren’t,” he said.
“The Luxembourg game I missed a penalty, didn’t play well and was coming off a low point but then you play against Germany.
“The night before, Michael came over and said ‘forget about what happened the other night, you’ll go and do something tomorrow’ and it happened. Michael has been around so long he’ll have seen it with other players, so it was a great feeling to get one against Germany.”
The 22-year-old is among the emerging generation of Northern Ireland players aiming to reach a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2016, during O’Neill’s initial tenure as manager.
He emphasized the “maturity” within the squad as a crucial asset for navigating the upcoming challenges.
“The ground and the fans will be electric, but it’s about staying calm and composed because if you let the occasion get to you, it’s never the best thing.
“We’ve the right level of maturity in the group and players who have been there before, so they can help us.
“I hope they (opposition) realise we have a good young side and every team comes here fears it as they should do.”