Denmark vs Northern Ireland prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-06-15 18:45.
Denmark begin their double header of European Championship qualifiers (ECQ) in high spirits after boss Kasper Hjulmand penned a new deal which will keep him in charge of the national team until 2026. That comes as little surprise after overseeing their joint-strongest Euro performance with their semi-final appearance in the 2020 edition, and that’s not to mention his all-time greatest points per game average of any Danish national manager to oversee at least 20 games (W23, D3, L12).
The recent World Cup was ultimately one to forget for the Danes as they crashed out in the group stage, and despite posting a strong start to this ECQ cycle, a shock 3-2 defeat against Kazakhstan left a bitter taste at the end of the last international break. A resurgent performance can be expected in more familiar surroundings, with only Portugal getting the better of the Danes on home soil in ECQ action since 2007 (W12, D3, L1).
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland began their ECQ campaign with a routine 2-0 win over perennial whipping boys San Marino, before falling 1-0 against Finland. Instant redemption against a talented Denmark side would boost hopes of qualifying for a first European tournament since 2016 and only their second ever, as they aim to emulate the Northern Ireland side of 2006/07 that took four points from Denmark in their last shared qualification cycle.
A return of just two wins across their last nine internationals doesn’t inspire much confidence in achieving that aim (W2, D2, L5), especially when both sides that they defeated in that run are both ranked outside of UEFA’s top-100 nations. In fact, their last four games against top-20 ranked nations in ECQ action since 2019 saw them concede 11 goals with just two goals scored in reply (D1, L3).
Players to watch: Denmark’s 20 year-old striker Rasmus Højlund is unsurprisingly coveted by top sides across Europe after an incredible season with Atalanta (G10, A2), and he’s scored all five of Denmark’s ECQ goals so far this cycle! Northern Ireland also have a striker with 100% of their goals, even if Dion Charles’ brace in the opening round can't quite match Højlund’s return.
Hot stat: Northern Ireland have failed to score in just one of their last 11 away ECQ games.