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There is no question of returning to the European class dunces. It is not because Luxembourg is on the verge of completing its least successful campaign in a very long time that we must give up and accept the unacceptable.
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The Red Lions have their place in League C and want to prove it this Monday evening from 8:45 p.m. at the Stade de Luxembourg against a Northern Irish selection which will aim for promotion to League B. Luxembourg has its destiny in hand for snatch two play-off matches. Luc Holtz welcomed the return of Leandro Barreiro and should hardly change his batteries.
What are the challenges of this last day?
The four teams in the Luxembourg group still have a good reason to take care of their exit. Northern Ireland are in pole position to move up to League B. They are missing one point. Bulgaria must beat Belarus in Sofia and hope for a grand ducal victory over Ulster to be promoted. His Slavic opponent can no longer go up directly, but can play a barrage to reach the upper level in the event of victory in the Bulgarian capital. Finally, the Red Lions must avoid being among the bottom two in this League C.
If they win this Monday evening, it will be mission accomplished. If they draw, they have to hope Azerbaijan doesn’t win in Sweden. Same remark if they lose with an additional condition: that Lithuania does not impose itself in Kosovo. In this case, the FLF selection would compete in a play-off to remain in League C in March 2026 against a team ranked second in League D.
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Gibraltar, San Marino and Liechtenstein are still involved in group 1, Malta would be the opponent in group 2. The draw for this play-off, which will be played back and forth, will take place next Friday. The only certainty was that the Red Lions would play the return match at home.
Which Red Lions should we expect at kick-off?
“There will be no gifts,” warned Luc Holtz, aware of the stakes for this latest outing. Proud of the state of mind displayed by his players on Friday evening, the coach should change his starting eleven very little. Leandro Barreiro should, of course, become a starter again since the ultimatum set by Benfica has ended. “I feel good and very happy to be here,” said the man for whom it was heartbreaking not to be able to help his comrades last Friday. “Leo” went through a less successful period at Benfica before a muscle injury which kept him out of competition in the last month.
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Will his return to the heart of the game come at the expense of Tomás Moreira? This is the most likely hypothesis, even if the young Benfica player lived up to expectations against Bulgaria. Danel Sinani suffers from a slight calf problem, but his participation did not seem to be in question. The three boys warned against the Balkan selection (Laurent Jans, Florian Bohnert and Christopher Martins) did not appear on the “red” list of suspended potentials, which leaves the coach spoiled for choice. So to speak, because the substitutes who entered on Friday did not necessarily convince and there are only three to have entered.
What will tomorrow be like?
We will not see the Grand Ducal selection in action again until at least March 2025, the date of the start of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup which will be contested in the United States, Mexico and Canada, if Luxembourg appears in a group of 5 teams. Otherwise, it will be September 2025 in the case of a group of 4. The draw will take place on December 13 in Switzerland.
Several questions will arise this winter. Will we see Maxime Chanot in the group again after his skirmish with the coach and his criticisms addressed in particular to Laurent Jans? Will the captain return for an 11th campaign in a major tournament? The remark also applies to Lars Gerson who would compete in a 13th if he is present next spring.
But the question that everyone is asking concerns the coach who still has a contract for one last campaign. Questioned this Sunday at a press conference, the main interested party kicked in, explaining that his only current center of interest was the match this Monday evening.
What specific tactical adjustments might Luxembourg implement to overcome their challenges in the crucial match and achieve their goal of avoiding relegation from League C?
Guest 1: It is a crucial match for Luxembourg as they are looking to avoid being the bottom two in League C and potentially get promoted to a higher level. What challenges do you think they will face in this last day of the Nations League? Furthermore, what will be their strategy to secure a win and maintain their position in the league standings?
Guest 2: Maxime Chanot’s recent behavior has caused controversy in the team and even led to him being benched. As a coach, how will you address this issue within the team and ensure stability moving forward, especially considering there are still European qualifiers ahead? Additionally, what are your thoughts on the captain’s future with the team and how can he regain the trust of his coaches and teammates?
