Intro:

Manager Michael O'Neill looks ahead to Northern Ireland's friendly against Scotland on Wednesday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Michael O'Neill, Northern Ireland manager: Q. Is the Scotland match an opportunity to experiment with the squad or confirm your first team line-up?

"I think it's a bit of both to be honest, I think it's an opportunity for us to look at some things from a tactical point of view. It's an opportunity for some players, who've not played very much football recently at club level, but obviously are key players for us at international level and it's an opportunity to introduce some of the younger players potentially, as well. So I think we'll get an awful lot out of the game because of that, but the main focus is, you know, that we get through the game, we have a good performance and it just sets us up nicely for the game on Sunday."

SOUNDBITE (English) Michael O'Neill, Northern Ireland manager: Q. Will the game be a good test to see how far Northern Ireland have come in the last few months?

"Yeah I think it is, I think it'll be a good test for us because often with a friendly international it can be a little bit low key and we've had a couple of those in the last couple of years that we didn't get very much out of. I think we'll get an awful lot out of this game and I think just the nature of it being Scotland and Northern Ireland will just add to that as well. And hopefully a decent crowd at Hampden, you know, for our lads. You know, Hampden is still an iconic stadium for some of our lads who'll get the opportunity to play in it as well. So I think it'll be of huge benefit to us. Some of our younger players, it'll be a big, big game for them and that's what we obviously want to see them tested in that environment, and it'll be an opportunity for me to see how they respond to that."

SOUNDBITE (English) Michael O'Neill, Northern Ireland manager:

"I think it's pretty evident, you know, obviously, the improvement that's been made. You know, seven points, I think they probably feel a little bit aggrieved that they don't maybe have more than that. They were very unlucky in Poland, not to win the game, and unlucky possibly in Germany not to take something from the game. So I think Scotland are in a very strong position in the group."