Published 23 September 2026. Updated 25 September 2026. Analysis and predictions are our opinion,
not a guarantee of anything. 18+, please gamble responsibly.
Northern Ireland open their Nations League B campaign in Tbilisi on Friday 25 September, kick-off 17:00 UK time at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena. It is a step up for Michael O’Neill’s side, who were promoted out of League C in the last edition, and the first of a four-game window in Group B2 that brings Hungary to Windsor Park on 28 September and Georgia back to Belfast on 5 October, with Ukraine also in the group.
O’Neill has named a 28-man squad, up from 23 in June, with four teenagers in it: Arsenal’s 18-year-old Ceadach O’Neill, who has two senior caps, plus Kieran Morrison, Braiden Graham and Tom Atcheson. The headline absence is still Conor Bradley. The Liverpool full-back and captain has not played since knee surgery in January, and the manager has called it a “bonus” if he is back before Euro 2028 qualifying starts in March 2028. Ali McCann is also missing. Dan Ballard is expected back in the back line, with Ruairi McConville the likeliest to make way.
The case for Georgia
Georgia have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and O’Neill has described the PSG winger and Georgia captain as one of the best players in the world. That alone makes the hosts dangerous. Their form in 2026 is solid too: unbeaten in four this year, with wins over Lithuania and Bahrain. The rougher numbers from the longer view come with context. Georgia have lost five of their ten games since September 2025, but four of those defeats were against Spain and Turkey. Willy Sagnol has lost left-back Irakli Azarovi to a late injury, so veteran Lasha Dvali is tipped to return to the back three and 18-year-old Saba Kharebashvili is in contention at left wing-back. A home crowd in Tbilisi has carried this team through big nights before.
The case for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s recent losses come with a similar asterisk. Four of their five defeats across the last ten games were against Germany, Italy and France, and the other was a 91st-minute loss in Slovakia. Against sides at their own level they have been hard to beat. A young squad with fresh legs, set up to be compact and quick on the break, is the right shape to frustrate a home side that will have most of the ball, and one moment on the counter is all it takes at a price like this.
What looks the smart angle
Northern Ireland have drifted on the morning of the game. Virgin Bet’s 17/5 (4.40) is now the best partner price on the visitors, ahead of 10/3 (4.33) at both Betfred and William Hill, and Virgin Bet also leads the partners on the draw at 47/20 (3.35). Betfred and William Hill share the best partner price on a Georgia win at 4/5 (1.80). Georgia are fair favourites on quality, and Kvaratskhelia is the single best player on the pitch by some distance. The case against taking odds-on is that Northern Ireland have mostly lost to elite opposition, not to sides like this, and Georgia’s own defeats have mostly come against the same top tier. That leaves the draw at 47/20 or Northern Ireland at 17/5 as the more interesting numbers for anyone who thinks the visitors can keep it tight. This is analysis and opinion on the numbers as they stand, not a certainty, and both teams’ confirmed XIs are worth a look before kick-off.
Elsewhere this week
Wales lost 1-0 away to Portugal on 24 September and head to Denmark on 27 September. England host Spain at Wembley on 26 September before a trip to the Czech Republic on 29 September, while King’s Resort in Rozvadov runs its King’s Million EPC poker festival through the same stretch.
The offers worth claiming before kick-off
Ad: William Hill’s bet £10, get £30 in free bets shares the best partner price on a Georgia win and has the lowest qualifying-odds bar of the three at 1/2 (1.5), which even the odds-on favourite clears. Betfred’s bet £10, get £50 in free bets matches William Hill’s 4/5 on Georgia. Its qualifying bet needs Evens (2.0) or bigger, so the draw or Northern Ireland qualify at Betfred’s prices and Georgia at 4/5 does not. Virgin Bet’s welcome offer pays £20 in free bets plus 2 x £5 Bet Builder tokens for a £10 deposit and a £10+ qualifying bet at 1/2 or better, and it now has the best partner prices on both the draw and Northern Ireland.
If the Friday tea-time kick-off doesn’t suit, William Hill also runs a 200 free spins offer on Big Bass Splash and a £100 poker playthrough bonus plus a pack of Twister tournament tickets worth a look in the meantime.
Whichever way this one goes, claim the William Hill welcome offer here to back it at the best partner price on the favourite.
