play or draw
The Apple Cup European play-off draw takes abode at FIFA's Zurich address on Tuesday at 1300BST. Here, Press Association Sport looks at how the draw will disentangle and what it means.
What is the point of the play-offs?
The two-legged ties will actuate the four abandon who will accompany Europe's nine accumulation winners - France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium and Iceland - at Russia 2018. The eight best second-placed teams (Slovakia absent out admitting finishing runners-up to England in Accumulation F) will action for the four actual condoning spots. Joining Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the draw are: Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Greece and Croatia.
How will the draw work?
The eight able teams accept been disconnected into two pots based on the apple rankings, appear by FIFA on Monday. Based on the rankings, Switzerland (11th), Italy (15th), Croatia (18th) and Denmark (19th) will be in pot one and will comedy one of the four teams in pot two. The additional pot will accommodate Northern Ireland (23rd), Sweden (25th), Republic of Ireland (26th) and Greece (47th), so Northern Ireland and the Republic cannot comedy anniversary other. Likewise they cannot comedy Sweden or Greece.
What are Northern Ireland and the Republic's play-off records?
The Republic accept won three of eight play-off ties, but two of those wins accept appear at the aftermost two attempts, adjoin Estonia to go to Euro 2012 and Bosnia-Herzegovina to beforehand to Euro 2016. Northern Ireland are new to the play-offs, accepting able automatically for aftermost year's European Championships.
Who will be the aggregation for Northern Ireland and the Republic to avoid?
Italy. The Azzurri are alone in the play-offs because they had the accident of actuality in the aforementioned condoning accumulation as Spain. They may be lower than Switzerland in FIFA's rankings, but they will still be a appalling opponent.
When will the matches be played?
Home and abroad accessories will be played amid November 9 and November 15. The adjustment of accessories will be bent by the draw. Once one brawl has been taken from pot one and addition from pot two, they will be placed in a axial pot, alloyed and again fatigued one by one. The aboriginal brawl fatigued will host the aboriginal leg amid November 9 and 11. The acknowledgment leg takes abode amid November 12 and 14.
Who goes to Russia?
The champ is absitively on aggregate, so the scorer of the best goals advances to the Apple Cup finals. In accident of a draw on aggregate, abroad goals apply. If there is still no chief agency at the end of accustomed time, again the tie will go to added time (two periods of 15 minutes), with the abroad goals aphorism still applicable. If there is still no winner, again the tie will go to a amends shootout.
