BERGAMO — Northern Ireland will play Italy in a World Cup play-off semi-final in Bergamo on Thursday at 19:45 GMT. The winner will face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in a match for a place in this summer's World Cup finals in North America.

Northern Ireland midfielder Ethan Galbraith described the opportunity as extraordinary ahead of the match. "It's a bit of a pinch me moment. To be involved in this squad is unreal, but to be two games away from a World Cup is crazy," said Galbraith, who plays club football for Swansea City.

The 24-year-old midfielder acknowledged the challenge ahead while expressing confidence in his team's preparation. "I've thought about it a few times and they are going to be tough games, but to even be a part of those games is huge," Galbraith said.

Northern Ireland finished third in their World Cup qualifying group, where they were defeated by Germany twice during the group stage. "Germany are a top side and so is Italy with a number of superstars, so having those games against Germany in the group has put us in good stead for this game," Galbraith said.

"You have to prepare for their best team and we did that with Germany," Galbraith said.

The teams have recent history, with Northern Ireland holding Italy to a goalless draw at home in 2021. That result sent Italy into a play-off semi-final that Italy ultimately failed to win. Italy have not reached the World Cup since 2014.

Northern Ireland will be without Conor Bradley and Dan Ballard for the match. Despite the absences, Galbraith remained optimistic about his team's chances. "If we can go out and give it 100%, we can be a match for anyone," Galbraith said.

"We can go out there, give it our all and hopefully it will be enough on the night," Galbraith said.

Galbraith's first memories of the World Cup date back to the 2010 finals in South Africa. Now, fourteen years later, he stands two victories away from participating in football's premier tournament.