Stuart Dallas out of Northern Ireland's World Cup Qualifier vs Lithuania due to personal reasons
The Leeds midfielder did not travel to Vilnius on Wednesday for personal reasons; that adds to Baraclough's selection headaches with Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, George Saville, Josh Magennis and Liam Boyce already among those unavailable for the trip.
Thursday 2 September 2021 08:55, UK
Northern Ireland will be without Stuart Dallas for Thursday's crunch World Cup Qualifier against Lithuania.
The Leeds midfielder did not travel to Vilnius on Wednesday for personal reasons, with an issue arising within the last 24 hours to rule the 30-year-old out of contention.
That adds to Baraclough's selection headaches with Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, George Saville, Josh Magennis and Liam Boyce already among those unavailable for the game, live on Sky Sports.
- Jonny Evans a major doubt for NI's WC qualifiers
- World Cup 2022 Euro Qualifiers: All you need to know
Manager Ian Baraclough said: "We all know how good a player Stuart Dallas is but we've also got players desperate for a chance to play.
Live World Cup Qualifier
"As soon as they came in, the first meeting, we said make sure you're ready to play. Don't come in thinking you're going to be a bit-part player. Everyone knows they've got a chance of playing.
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"Everyone in the squad near enough is playing regular football at the moment, it makes it more competitive and we know if we call on anybody they're ready."
World Cup 2022 Euro Qualifiers: All you need to know
The road to Qatar 2022 for European nations is up and running with UEFA's 55 member associations embarking on their qualifying campaign to reach the finals next year.
England, one of the top seeds, will be pleased with the group they have been handed, with Poland and Hungary the highest ranked of their opponents, while Wales will also have to get past Belgium and Czech Republic to qualify for the 2022 showpiece.
Scotland avoided many of the top sides in Europe, with Denmark and Austria the sides ranked highest of their opponents.
But how many teams qualify per group? Sky Sports provides you with a comprehensive look at how the European qualifiers work.
