SAINTS midfielder Steven Davis reckons Northern Ireland will come good in time for the Euro 2020 qualifiers next year.

Davis’ national side have lost all their UEFA Nations League fixtures so far, but he is adamant manager Michael O’Neill has a plan to put an end to the poor form.

The Northern Ireland captain said: “We’d all have liked a really strong Nations League and we have tried our best to do that.

“But I think we all knew this was going to be a period for us to try and take as much experience out of these games as possible to be ready when the Euro 2020 qualifiers come around,” Davis said.

“We are in a development stage. There have been changes to the squad with younger players coming in.

“Michael spoke about it at the start of the Nations League that he wanted to see the squad evolving and for us to maybe try to dominate games a little bit more. 

“Michael will always see the bigger picture in terms of what we are trying to prepare for. Right now it’s about getting ourselves right for the Euro qualifiers. We feel we will be ready.”

Davis is expected to start tomorrow’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland and is keen for his team to get back to being resilient after two defeats on the trot.

He added: “It’s crucial we get back to being tough to beat.

“The game against the Republic gives us a chance to do that. 

“Obviously both sets of players will be very familiar with each other and I think there will be an edge to the match.”