Georgia vs Northern Ireland prediction and predicted line-ups, behind closed doors in Tbilisi. Nations League, Friday 25 September

This one is behind closed doors. Georgia host Northern Ireland on Friday 25 September in the opening round of League B, in a stadium closed by UEFA. Willy Sagnol's side have not played a competitive game since November 2025, while Michael O'Neill's team are back in League B for the first time since 2020, without captain Conor Bradley.

Georgia vs Northern Ireland: kick-off time and venue

Georgia vs Northern Ireland kicks off at 17:00 UK time (18:00 CEST, 20:00 in Tbilisi) on Friday 25 September at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena. The ground is closed after crowd trouble at a game against Armenia in 2025. The only spectators will be under-14s from Georgian football schools and about 60 Northern Ireland fans who had booked their trips before the ban was announced. It is Group B2 of League B in the Nations League, with Hungary and Ukraine: the winners go up to League A and the runners-up go into a promotion play-off. Israel's Orel Grinfeeld is the referee.

Team news

Sagnol has lost Shakhtar left-back Irakli Azarovi, out for about a month with a knee injury, and called up Saba Kharebashvili of Başakşehir. Northern Ireland are without Bradley, who had knee surgery in January and is expected to miss the whole Nations League campaign, and the injured Alistair McCann and Brad Lyons. Oxford's Jamie McDonnell pulled out with a hamstring problem at the weekend and has not been replaced. On 15 September O'Neill pointed to the main threat: “We will play against Georgia who for me arguably have maybe one of the best players in the world at this minute in time”. He meant Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Georgia vs Northern Ireland predicted line-ups

Neither side has an XI that holds up. The only full Georgia line-up published with a date includes Azarovi, who is injured, and the others feature retired or uncalled players. The fixed points are Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal, Luka Lochoshvili, Monza's Saba Goglichidze and Otar Kakabadze in defence, Giorgi Kochorashvili in midfield, and Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze up front, with Kharebashvili, Sazonov and Beriashvili competing at left-back and Kiteishvili, Davitashvili, Udinese's Chakvetadze and Frosinone's Kvernadze in contention behind the front two.

The Northern Ireland predictions do not even agree on the goalkeeper: 21-year-old Pierce Charles, who started in Bergamo, is seen as the number one ahead of Conor Peacock-Farrell. From March's starting side, Hume, McNair and McConville should be in defence, where Ballard is also back; Shea Charles, the keeper's brother, and Galbraith in midfield; and Isaac Price and centre-forward Jamie Donley in attack. The official line-ups are released about an hour before kick-off.

Head-to-head and form

There is only one previous meeting: a friendly at Windsor Park on 26 March 2008, which Northern Ireland won 4-1 with two goals from Kyle Lafferty. Georgia, third in their World Cup qualifying group, won only one of their last five competitive games, 3-0 against Bulgaria; they are unbeaten in four friendlies in 2026. After losing 2-0 to Italy in the play-off semi-final in Bergamo, Northern Ireland beat Guinea and lost 3-1 to France in Lille in June.

Our Georgia vs Northern Ireland prediction

Our call is no more than four goals, confidence 6 out of 10. None of Northern Ireland's last eight games has produced more than four goals, and since March 2024 they have averaged 1.5 goals a game with Bradley on the pitch and 0.7 without him. The rest of the evening's fixtures are in our matchday one preview.

Every game with our calls is on the Nations League page. The record of settled calls is in the results history, and our calls on individual players are in player predictions.