Written By: Kevin Mac, , Match Preview

THE end of Euro 2024 qualifying can't come quickly enough for Northern Ireland and you suspect more pain awaits them when they bring the curtain down on Group H with the visit of Denmark.

Michael O'Neill's second coming has been more David Icke than Jesus of Nazareth so far and the only points the Irish have picked up in this campaign have come against whipping boys San Marino.

I backed Finland to pile on the pain in Helsinki on Friday night and it was another bad night for O'Neill and his players as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat. Any hopes of reaching the finals in Germany were extinguished a long time ago and it's now about salvaging some pride ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Denmark were the surprise package of Euro 2020 and only a controversial extra-time penalty in the semi-final against England stopped Kasper Hjulmand's exciting young side in their tracks.

But they flopped at the Qatar World Cup, finishing bottom of an easy group, and have made heavy weather of negotiating a Euro qualifying group that also looked pretty straightforward when the draw was made.

Denmark finally booked their ticket to the finals with a 2-1 home win over Slovenia on Friday, bringing up two bets for our man Gabriel, and will finish top of the section no matter what happens in the final round of fixtures.

That could see Hjulmand make a few changes for the game in Belfast but the Danes should still have too much firepower for this demoralised and injury-hit Northern Ireland side.

How the bookies view it

It's no surprise to see Denmark as odds-on favourites for this one and most firms have them at 4/6 for a Belfast win. Northern Ireland's best price is 17/4 at Coral and the draw pays 3/1 at Bet365.

Head to head

There's nothing between these sides in the overall head-to-head, with one win apiece and three draws. Denmark have yet to win in Belfast, with a 1-1 draw in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers followed by a 2-1 defeat on the road to Euro 2008.

Players to watch

Both managers could make a few changes for what is a dead rubber but O'Neill doesn't have too many options due to all the injuries. West Ham kid Callum Marshall came off the bench in Helsinki and could get a start here, with the 18-year-old forward 7/2 at SkyBet for anytime scorer.

Mohamed Daramy has plenty of promise for the Danes and the 21-year-old could be unleashed for this one after being left on the bench in midweek. The Reims striker is 5/2 at Coral to grab his first senior international goal.

Anything else catch the eye?

It's hard to predict if we'll see a lot of goals in this one as it's a dead rubber but Hjulmand usually sets his side up to attack and the Irish defence looked extremely vulnerable in that Helsinki humbling. Over 2.5 goals looks decent value at 20/23 with Betfair and if you combine that with a Danish win it boosts the odds to 17/10 at Paddy Power.

The Danes can play with freedom after qualifying for the finals and I also like the look of the 13/8 on offer at Paddy Power for them to score in both halves. If Denmark strike early then the game could peter out so try backing most goals to come in the first half at 21/10 with McBookie.

This match between Northern Ireland and Denmark will be played on Nov 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Northern Ireland vs Denmark prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.

Betting Tips and Predicitions
Denmark win and over 2.5 goals
17/10
PaddyPower
Most goals in first half
21/10
McBookie
Mohamed Daramy anytime scorer
5/2
Coral

Please gamble responsibly. For assistance with problem gambling please visit GambleAware.co.uk

VIEW MORE FREE TIPS