Northern Ireland Faces Injury Challenges Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers
Paul Smyth will be sidelined for Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany due to injury.
The winger sustained an injury after scoring for QPR during their 3-1 Championship victory over Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
Kilmarnock midfielder Brad Lyons is also in doubt after suffering a knock in his team's 2-2 draw with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill is already facing a lengthy injury list this international window, missing goalkeepers Pierce Charles and Conor Hazard, defenders Daniel Ballard, Brodie Spencer, and Ciaron Brown, as well as midfielder Jordan Thompson.
“Naturally, we’re disappointed to have these injuries, but we have a good, young, resilient squad, and we’re looking forward to testing ourselves against strong opponents this week,” O'Neill stated in a squad update released by the IFA on Monday.
Uncapped players Kofi Balmer, Ryan Johnson, and Jamie McDonnell were called into the squad on Friday as replacements for Ballard and Spencer, but no further additions have been made following Smyth's withdrawal.
Northern Ireland will kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Luxembourg on Thursday, September 4, before traveling to Cologne to face Germany in their second Group A match on Sunday, September 7.