Italy Host Northern Ireland In FIFA World Cup Playoffs, Aim To Avoid Third Straight Failure

Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of the World Cup playoffs in Europe on Thursday.

The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer’s biggest event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022.

In all, 16 teams are competing for four spots at the World Cup in North America.

Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of the finals secure qualification.

Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania.

Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo.

Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs. Ireland

Dejan Kulusevski Had A ‘Small Intervention’ On Injured Knee, Tottenham Hotspur Star Seen Limping In Sweden Camp

Tottenham midfielder Dejan Kulusevski revealed on Thursday he had a “small intervention” on his injured right knee that has kept him sidelined all season and will cause him to miss the World Cup playoffs with Sweden.

Kulusevski has been in Sweden’s camp this week for the buildup to the semifinal playoff against Ukraine in Valencia, Spain, on Thursday, but wasn’t picked in the squad and will not play.

Footage showed Kulusevski apparently walking with a limp and he took to Instagram to explain why.

“Just to clarify things. I’m limping because I had a small intervention in the knee 2 weeks ago,” he wrote on Instagram. “Went in and took out what was not supposed to be there. Knee is great now.”

Kulusevski hasn’t played for club or country since last May when he hurt his knee in a Premier League game.

He has been a big miss for Tottenham, which is fighting to avoid relegation.

Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor said last week there was no timeline on Kukusevski’s potential return.