Nations League: Micahel O’Neill says goalkeepers can ‘stake a claim’ for NI after Bailey Peacock-Farrell injury

Northern Ireland are not just without their first-choice goalkeepers but have also lost Sunderland defender Dan Ballard and Leyton Orient midfielder Ethan Galbraith to injury.

While Rangers attacker Ross McCausland remains with the group ahead of Tuesday’s home game with Bulgaria, he will not feature in Hungary.

The contest provides Northern Ireland with a chance to restore momentum after last month’s loss to Bulgaria in Plovdiv.

Aside from that defeat, the team’s only other reverse of 2024 came at the hands of European champions Spain, but O’Neill believes the disappointing 1-0 Bulgaria defeat could prove instructive on Saturday.

“They’ll provide a stiff test for us,” he said of Belarus.

“It won’t be dissimilar to the game probably in Bulgaria where we dealt with a more experienced team.

“We had to deal with the physicality, particularly in the early part of the game, but ultimately we came out on the wrong side of a 1-0 result. We want to make sure we address that.”