Defender Laura Rafferty says Northern Ireland will have the “classic underdog tag” in their Euro 2025 play-off with Norway.
Despite the odds favouring Norway, Rafferty believes Northern Ireland can cause a shock and reach the finals in Switzerland next summer.
The first leg takes place at Inver Park on Friday before the return fixture in Oslo on Tuesday.
“It’s a classic underdog tag that we’ve worn before,” said Rafferty.
“Coming up against one of the world’s best is incredible for us. We’ve got a young squad but I know that everyone is going to thrive under that.”
Norway have defeated Northern Ireland on three occasions in recent years. Their last meeting ended in a 4-1 win for the Norwegians at the Euro 2022 finals, and they also won both games 6-0 in qualifying for that tournament.
Northern Ireland reached the play-off with a 2-1 extra-time win over Croatia, while Norway hammered Albania 14-0 on aggregate – including a 9-0 win in Oslo.
Rafferty is one of 11 players in Tanya Oxtoby’s squad who featured for Northern Ireland at the Euro 2022 finals in England.
She says playing in the country’s first major tournament was “one of the best moments of my life” and that feeling is helping to fuel their play-off hopes.
“It’s something you dream of as a kid, especially with a small country like ours,” added the Rangers defender.
“It’s something that we’re all dreaming of. We’ve two 90-plus minutes to make that happen.
“For me, I don’t want them to get in the way of our dreams.
“It’s about taking accountability and making sure that our dreams happen.”