'it's An Opportunity To Write Our Names In History'

ByAndy Gray

BBC Sport NI Journalist

Michael O'Neill says qualification for nan World Cup would beryllium "as bully arsenic thing that immoderate Northern Ireland squad has done".

Northern Ireland recreation to Italy successful a play-off semi-final connected 26 March and cognize they are large underdogs against Genaro Gattuso's side.

If they tin stun nan four-time World Cup winners, who person grounded to suffice for nan past 2 editions of nan tournament, past a travel to Wales aliases Bosnia-Herzegovina awaits successful nan play-off final.

The wide prize is simply a spot successful Group B astatine nan World Cup, alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar.

It would beryllium a monumental effort for Northern Ireland to scope a first World Cup successful 40 years, and that is thing O'Neill is good alert of.

"If this squad tin execute this, it would beryllium arsenic bully arsenic thing that immoderate Northern Ireland squad has done, to spell done 2 distant games and get to a World Cup," he told BBC Sport NI.

"It's a immense challenge, but we person nan opportunity to constitute our names into nan history of shot present successful Northern Ireland.

"We intend to do everything imaginable to effort and return it."

O'Neill already knew he would beryllium without Liverpool defender Conor Bradley aft he injured his knee successful nan Premier League against Arsenal successful January.

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard is besides a uncertainty for nan crippled aft he sustained a hamstring wounded successful nan conclusion by Brighton, but has been included successful O'Neill's 28-man squad.

When asked what challenges nan hosts will airs successful Bergamo, O'Neill said; "Well, they're Italy, aren't they?"

"It's going to beryllium a very, very reliable game. There's nary uncertainty astir that," he added successful his property conference.

"We're going to person to measurement up. If you look astatine our squad, there's 13 players successful nan Championship, there's 4 astatine Premier League clubs and nan remainder are League One aliases playing their shot elsewhere.

"It is simply a large measurement up for us, but it's a measurement up we've made successful nan past.

"I deliberation we made it successful nan Germany crippled [a gutsy 3-1 conclusion successful September], albeit we didn't get nan results that we felt we possibly could person done. We person to effort and make that measurement up again."

It has been 4 weeks since O'Neill announced that he would harvester his domiciled pinch Northern Ireland pinch nan task of trying to thief Blackburn Rovers debar relegation.

O'Neill was adamant he could juggle some jobs, saying that being successful a nine situation day-to-day would thief support his coaching crisp and that he had already done nan brunt of his preparations for Italy earlier undertaking nan domiciled astatine Ewood Park.

Those against nan move person cited it arsenic a distraction up of Northern Ireland's biggest lucifer successful caller years.

O'Neill had said it "wasn't astir leaving Northern Ireland" and, speaking astatine his squad announcement connected Monday, he reiterated he has different 2 years connected his statement pinch nan Irish FA.

"For maine not to beryllium Northern Ireland [manager for September's Nations League games], location would person to beryllium an statement betwixt Blackburn and nan IFA.

"I would person to want to person to do that and, astatine this infinitesimal successful time, my attraction is connected nan World Cup play-off and nan remaining games for Blackburn Rovers."

O'Neill has 3 wins and a tie successful 7 matches arsenic Rovers head and they beryllium 3 points extracurricular of nan Championship relegation area pinch 8 games remaining.

Just 4 points abstracted Rovers successful 19th and Leicester City successful 23rd. Tight is an understatement arsenic 5 teams look to debar nan 2 remaining relegation spots.

"My nonsubjective is to spell successful and effort and return Blackburn to a safer position successful nan Championship," he told BBC Sport.

"We've managed to do that truthful far, but it's very, very tight astatine that end."

When asked really preparations would activity if Northern Ireland qualified for nan World Cup and his last crippled pinch Blackburn Rovers was connected 2 May, O'Neill said his attraction was connected nan contiguous future.

He added that he tin "assure" Northern Ireland fans that "preparations will beryllium arsenic bully arsenic they person ever been" for nan play-offs.

"If we tin get done nan 2 games and we're going to nan World Cup then, spot me, we will beryllium fresh to spell to nan World Cup," he said.

"Let's woody pinch what's astatine hand, which is decidedly important.

"I'll talk astir nan reality, which is we travel into a World Cup play-off, arsenic reliable arsenic we could person got, and we've sewage to do everything to effort and triumph that game."