Michael O’Neill offered a simple response when asked if Sunday night will be an emotional occasion at Windsor Park
The Euro qualifier against Finland will be O'Neill's first at home since returning as Northern Ireland manager.
O'Neill kicked off his new tenure with a 2-0 win in San Marino on Thursday night, and a packed Windsor is set to welcome the former Stoke City boss back on Sunday.
Read more: Northern Ireland vs Finland TV and live stream info for Sunday's game
It will be a hero's return for the 53-year-old who led Northern Ireland to the Euro finals during his first spell in charge.
O'Neill insists his only focus is on 90 minutes of football, and making it back-to-back wins in the current campaign.
Asked if Sunday will be an emotionally charged night for him, O'Neill smiled: "No, not really, to be honest. I am quite an unemotional person with regards to that."
The questions kept coming, with O'Neill joking reporters were “desperate to see me in tears”.
He added: “At the end of the day it’s a game of football.
“We have to keep everything in perspective. I don’t know how it will affect me tomorrow, I know we have to be focused. My primary objective is to make sure my head is in the game and that’s where it’s been all week.
“I’m just looking forward to the game. When Northern Ireland are at their best the stadium has a great atmosphere, there’s a real strong bond between the players and the fans. That’s something we carried for a number of years, something we developed and something we have to reconnect.
“We have to make sure that’s how fans feel about the players going forward. That’s where I’ll get the most satisfaction and, who knows, maybe a bit of emotion will come out then.”
Meanwhile, captain Craig Cathcart joked that O'Neill might shed a tear if Northern Ireland qualify for next year's Euro finals.
The defender said: “Maybe he will give us a tear or two if we qualify. I have only ever seen him come close to crying after a few late nights.”
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