Northern Ireland v Germany: Conor Bradley will be big loss for Michael O’Neill’s side at Windsor Park
The side now faces the prospect of facing the group favorites without their best player.
Bradley, who has received three yellow cards in five Premier League matches this term, received his second yellow card in the preliminary rounds for his tackle on Lukas Haraslin in the 76th minute.
O’Neill described the decision as “extremely disappointing” and felt his player was trying to withdraw from the challenge.
“There were worse tackles in the game and a particularly poor one on Isaac Price, who the referee let go just before this one,” he said. “It was disappointing to get a yellow card for that.”
Speaking to BBC Sport NI, former Northern Ireland and Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas said Bradley had made “a call for the referee to make” but agreed with his former international boss that the decision was ultimately harsh.
If not for the resulting suspension, this would have been a mere footnote in an otherwise excellent performance.
Bradley was one of four players in the starting 11 and went into the game knowing the suspension would rule him out of Monday’s game, but Hume said they did not want to curb his aggressive side.
“We talked before the game about the players in yellow trying not to score goals, but this is one of them,” he explained.
“You can’t play a game just to avoid getting a booking. You have to play to your strengths.
“He’s full throttle. He’s always on 100%.”
Bradley has started 15 of his country’s 17 matches since making his Premier League debut in January 2024, missing only the friendlies against Sweden and Switzerland in March.
How he compensates for his loss gives O’Neill another thing to consider as he plans how to achieve the biggest result of his second spell in charge.
While there are no similar changes in the squad, Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer is set to fill the void on the right wing against the four-time World Cup champions.
“You’ve seen Brodie play at left-back, right-back, he’s even played in the back three. We know how strong and athletic he is,” added Hume.
“Obviously Conor will be a big miss but we are a big group, a strong team and we are all together.
“This is something we have to deal with and we will be ready.”
