World Cup qualifier: Northern Ireland v Russia, 7.45pm

Once a den of intimidating din, the home fans at Windsor Park have, of late, turned their tunes on the home side. "It's never nice, even worse when you're getting booed off by your own crowd. It's like you've let the whole country down," said the West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley ahead of Northern Ireland's game against Russia.

But they are right to do so because in footballing terms, at least, letting the country down is exactly what the players have been doing. Michael O'Neill's team have won just one of their last 14 internationals at home, drawing seven and losing six, and that win came two years ago against the Faroe Islands, thanks to some tasty touches from the boot of Pat McCourt.

It is a shameful run for a side that could once master the might of England and Spain. On Wednesday, they face a Russia side who will be hungry for a win. Fabio Capello's lot sit in second place in Group F (two points behind Portugal with two games in hand) and will be keen as Colman's to put the pressure on Portugal and avoid that awkward play-off position.

For the home side to get anything out of this, they will have to soak up some heavy pressure and hope to counterattack, catching the Russians off guard at the back. But that approach is no guarantee of success given that Palermo's Kyle Lafferty is out and Russia have only let in one goal in their five qualifying games. Despite this, McAuley believes they can do it – "We can win," he said – but few in Windsor Park will share his optimism and come full-time, expect the boos to come tumbling down if yet another lacklustre performance is offered up.

International friendly: Belgium v France, 8pm

"For the moment, I'm in Seville," Geoffrey Kondogbia told the French press last week, but for how long is the question. Real Madrid are said to be fluttering their eyelashes in his vicinity but so too should a host of Premier League clubs, not least Manchester United and Arsenal.

Though far from the finished article, Kondogbia is a defensive midfielder who is tough, tenacious and blessed with a tip-top touch. He posted some impressive performances in the Under-20 World Cup and in doing so earned a call-up to Didier Deschamps' squad for this friendly against Belgium.

Kondogbia has said he does not expect to feature on Wednesday – "I'll be there to observe how things work and to get my bearings" – but if he does get some pitch time, it will be intriguing to see how he gets on against one of the most in-form sides in Europe. A crunching tackle here, an able assist there, and the likes of David Moyes and Arsène Wenger may be looking to sweet talk him into a move north of the Sánchez Pizjuán.

International friendly: Sweden v Norway, 7pm

Something is rotten in the state of Sweden. They needed late goals to ease nerves against Kazakhstan and Faroe Islands (twice); they failed to beat Ireland at home in a game they dominated and lost in Austria. Their only moment of hope in a torrid World Cup qualifying campaign came in the form of the most audacious of comebacks against Germany, but even that had more to do with Deutschland dozing rather then Sweden being splendid.

Nevertheless, tied on 11 points with the Austrians and the Irish, they have still managed to retain hopes of finishing as runners-up in Group C (there is no catching Germany). A home victory over Norway – whom they have not faced for eight years – would give them a crucial and timely confidence boost ahead of a set of fixtures – Ireland (away), Austria (home) and Germany (home) – that they will need to take four points from if they are to retain hope of seeing the beaches of Brazil from the balconies of their hotels rather than the comfort of their couches.

International friendly: Portugal v Holland, 8.30pm

"To reach our goal, which is winning the world championships, you need Wesley [Sneijder]'s qualities," opined Rafael van der Vaart ahead of his side's friendly against Portugal. However the Holland manager, Louis van Gaal, clearly disagrees. Dropping him from the squad for the friendly, Van Gaal said: "I do not understand all the attention on Sneijder ... At first [he] has to focus on being fit, after that he has to be in form and after that I have to compare him with others."

The Galatasaray midfielder had been named as captain of his national team when Van Gaal took over last year but the former Barcelona manager will clearly not let ceremony or status get in the way of what he thinks is best for his team. Besides, anyone who saw Sneijder play for his club last season could hardly argue that he constitutes a necessary part of this Holland team.

This is an important fixture for the Dutch and it is integral that they are not carrying excess egos or extras. Six wins and 20 goals have seen them stroll to the top of their World Cup qualifying group with the ease of stealing sweets from a snoozing whippersnapper.

However, those looking to trumpet them as potential challengers for the World Cup should be warned. A similarly impressive qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 saw them labelled as one of the favourites only for the flying Dutchmen to fail to get off the ground in Poland and Ukraine, crashing out long before things got interesting.

A trip to Portugal – who top their qualifying group and have recently recorded good wins over Croatia and Russia – will be a much better barometer of just how good they really are and whether or not they are ready to mount a serious challenge for next year's World Cup, with or without a player whose best years are arguably long gone.

International friendly: Italy v Argentina, 7.45pm

Knee-knack may have kept Mario Balotelli from gracing Italy's glamour game against Argentina but Cesare Prandelli should not worry about that. The Milan striker's absence means that the Italy manager has the chance to give other players a chance to push for a place up front and leading the list of candidates should be Roma's Pablo Osvaldo. His strength as well as his intelligent movement and decent record for club and country – he has three goals in just eight games – make him a dangerous prospect for any defence. Osvaldo, who incidentally was born in Argentina, may also play like he has a point to prove to Prandelli after he was squeezed out of the squad for this year's Confederations Cup after insulting Aurelio Andreazzoli. Italy have not beaten Argentina since the 1982 World Cup, and given that Argentina are without Lionel Messi, this may be good chance to change that, and for Osvaldo to change Prandelli's mind.