Italian job needed for Baraclough’s men to reach Qatar
Northern Ireland fans would have been looking at the early stages of Monday’s World Cup qualifying draw thinking that Group C was the one to avoid. Italy and Switzerland drawn together from the opening two pots led to much quivering among fans as the pedigree of these two nations was not lost on anyone. Unfortunately for Ian Baraclough, that’s exactly where they landed and now face a daunting task to reach a first World Cup since their memorable adventure in 1982.