Michael O'Neill has claimed that Northern Ireland will be tough to beat in a World Cup playoff.
Monday's 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Belfast - their fifth in a row - guaranteed a top-two spot in Group C and a likely playoff place.
Northern Ireland have taken 19 points from a possible 24 and kept seven clean sheets, more than any other European team.
"Probably teams would say they wouldn't have minded playing Northern Ireland," O'Neill told BBC Sport.
"But if they look at us over the campaign they'll probably say no, we'd rather avoid Northern Ireland."
The playoff places will be filled by the eight best runners-up in the nine qualifying groups, excluding their results against the bottom side.
Based on the current standings, Northern Ireland have the second highest points tally among runners-up, with 13.
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
