Aaron Hughes can’t wait for Italian Test
Northern Ireland defender Aaron Hughes is looking forward to proving himself against Italy in the European 2012 qualifiers at Windsor Park on Friday.
Northern Ireland have started well in their group and produced a shock 1-0 away win against Slovenia in their first match.
Hughes believes that his side can pick up six points from their games against Italy and the Faroe Islands.
The Fulham defender pointed to Northern Ireland’s home form over recent years as evidence that they can win against Italy.
"At home over the last few years we've had some really good results. The England and Spain games will be talked about for years and we beat a lot of good teams that were ranked higher than us at home," said Hughes.
"We should go into the game with plenty of confidence, but it would be extremely dangerous to go into the match thinking Italy aren't what they used to be because the team is full of quality players,” he added.
Hughes will play an important role in the two games and the player has been an influential figure in defence for Northern Ireland over the past few years.
However, the defender is aware that they most also focus on the Faroe Islands and said, "We will go into the game against the Faroe Islands as favorites, but it will almost be like a cup match against a lower league team. We have to make sure we do everything
right because it's the type of game you can easily slip up in.”
The 31-year-old believes that Northern Ireland can overcome the odds and qualify for the European Championship if they can improve on their good start.
Hughes said, "If you don't do it properly you will become unstuck so they are two massive games for us. In past qualification campaigns we have done well around the middle of the campaign and not got off to the best start. We have had to play catch-up in the
past, but if we can get a strong start then we will give ourselves a really good chance."
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