O'Neill declares McAuley fit for NI trip to Azerbaijan
Northern Ireland defender Gareth McAuley has been passed fit to feature against Azerbaijan.
Manager Michael O'Neill says the West Brom veteran has shaken off a minor problem, and returns in time for the vital World Cup qualifier.
"Gareth's fine. We've tailored his training a little bit and he hasn't done all the sessions because we have to manage him given the season he's just had, and that recent injury. So we're not too concerned about his fitness for Saturday," said O'Neill.
The squad is currently based in Antalya in Turkey to undergo a training camp, as O'Neill tries to get his players fit on the back of their club seasons ending at different times.
"We have everything here - wonderful training camp, wonderful venue. We'll have a few more sessions here and then the final stadium session in Baku on Friday."
Part of the reasoning behind a camp in Turkey was so the players could adapt to the high temperatures of Azerbaijan, where it's expected to hit 31 degrees celsius on Saturday.
"We've been training at the equivalent of kickoff time in Baku so it's been warm, but obviously not sunny. The players have had good preparation in relation to getting acclimatised. Hopefully the weather's not a huge factor on the night."
Victory in Baku would see Northern Ireland tighten their grip on 2nd place in Group C which is likely to be their only route to Russia 2018, as Germany are expected to continue to dominate the standings.