Sanchez hails Hughes influence

Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez has paid tribute to skipper Aaron Hughes, who is set to win his 50th cap in tonight’s European Championship qualifier in Denmark.

The 26-year-old Aston Villa defender has become a key figure for both club and country and Sanchez said: “Aaron is a good leader – he leads by example both on and off the field.

“He is the ultimate pro in his preparation for games.

“He is now playing in his favourite position with Villa.

“Not only that, Aaron is playing week in week out, which is obviously benefiting him.”

Northern Ireland go into the match at the Parken on the back of a splendid victory against Spain.

But Sanchez is not content to rest on his laurels.

He said: “We are under pressure every time we play.

“We have 3,000 people coming here, who will be expecting the team to replicate the performance and probably the result of the Spain game.

“Whether we can do that or not is another matter.

“You are only as good as your last result, which means I am very good at this moment.

“But, as Iceland showed (Northern Ireland lost 3-0 at home), I was very poor. People want instant success.

“Look at (West Ham manager) Alan Pardew, He lost a cup final in the last minute last season and he is under pressure six games in.

“Before, you were given a season to get your feet under the table then you did a bit of building.”

Hughes added: “It is an opportunity against Denmark for us to cause another upset.

“While the odds are in Denmark’s favour, we have got to go home with at least a point.

“Our goal is to qualify for the finals, so it is important we do a job here.”

Chris Baird looks set to retain his place in the team after recovering from a stomach virus.

Sanchez said: “Chris has trained well, so we have no concerns about his fitness.”

Damien Johnson is also available again after sitting out the first two qualifiers through suspension.