World Cup play-off: Jonny Evans ready to stand up against Swiss

Northern Ireland vice-captain Jonny Evans believes the team's big game experience will help them deliver the result they need against Switzerland.

Evans says the players are relaxed ahead of the home leg of their World Cup play-off on Thursday night.

"I get that impression from the lads where we've been here before in big situations where we have to produce.

"When it comes to crunch time we are able to stand up, so it's business as usual," stated the West Brom defender.

Northern Ireland are attempting to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.

They are also aiming to qualify for back-to-back major tournaments for the first time, having reached the last 16 of Euro 2016.

Evans, 29, believes reaching Russia would be an even bigger achievement than reaching the last tournament finals in France

"To achieve something second time round always feels better.

"To reproduce all that hunger and desire, to go through all that again, for a team like us will be an amazing achievement and will eclipse that [Euro qualification]."

Higher-ranked Switzerland are favourites to qualify for their fourth successive major tournament.

The second leg is in Basel on Sunday.

Evans said: "It is difficult to think about the next game but we know it is coming.

"The fact we are are home first means we can make a big impression on the tie and hopefully set ourselves up, so that when we do go away, we are in a great position.

"They [Switzerland] are a good technical team and expressive in how they want to attack.

"It's important we try to nullify that and make sure we turn it into a game that suit us with high energy and impose our own authority on the game."