Northern Ireland v Lithuania live stream, Friday 12 November, 7.45pm GMT
Northern Ireland will be targeting a third-place finish in Group F after their World Cup qualification hopes came to an end in October.
Back-to-back defeats by Switzerland and Bulgaria last month left second spot in the group out of Northern Ireland’s reach. They are nine points adrift of the top two heading into the penultimate round of fixtures on Friday, having won only one of their six games to date. That victory came in the reverse fixture against Lithuania, and Northern Ireland would climb above Bulgaria and into third if they repeat the trick at Windsor Park.
It was always going to be tough for Ian Baraclough’s side to progress to the play-offs. Italy are the reigning European champions and Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in the summer; unsurprisingly, those two teams have dominated this group. Northern Ireland will stand a better chance of qualifying for a World Cup when the tournament is expanded to 48 teams in 2026.
Lithuania are bottom of Group F and have already played seven games, so they must beat Northern Ireland in Belfast to have any chance of avoiding last place. Valdas Urbonas’s men performed well in a 3-1 triumph over Bulgaria in October, but Lithuania have lost six away games on the bounce – including a 4-0 thrashing by Kosovo and a 3-1 loss to Latvia.
Michael Smith has once again been left out of the Northern Ireland squad, with Baraclough explaining that the Hearts defender has asked to remain at home due to a combination of injury niggles and personal reasons.
Nottingham Forest teenager Dale Taylor has been called up for the first time, while Reading goalkeeper Luke Southwood is another new face in the squad. At the other end of the experience spectrum, Steven Davis is in line to win his record-extending 131st cap for his country.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT on Friday, 12 November, and UK viewers can watch it on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. See below for international broadcast options.
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VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch World Cup qualifiers from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch Steve Bruce’s extra-red face without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, including:
UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
Head back to our VPN advice so you can take advantage when you're out of the country.
Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
The broadcaster also has all the rights to Champions League and Europa League games in Canada, too.
Want in while you're out of Canada? Scroll back up and check out the VPN offers above.
Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
To take advantage while you're not Down Under, follow the VPN advice towards the top of this page.
New Zealand TV rights
How to watch a Premier League live stream for New Zealand subscribers
Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
Check out our VPN deals to watch when you’re not in New Zealand.
