LUXEMBOURG
The big talking point in the Luxembourg team is around the selection of Gerson Rodrigues who scored the winner against Ireland in 2021. The player is in the squad even though he has a conviction for domestic abuse.
His manager Luc Holtz has said he won’t be swayed by supporter demonstrations about Rodrigues’ selection.
Luxembourg have won just one of their last 11 matches in all competitions (with seven defeats) with their last victory coming against Sweden 1-0 in a friendly back in March.
Heimir Hallgrímsson spoke about the game on the eve of Tuesday’s friendly. “I watched the Sweden game when they played here – they beat Sweden 1-0, they could have scored more goals against Sweden.
“I know a little bit about them, and the strength of Sweden, so I wouldn’t look at it as a shock to the nation if we would not get a good result here.”
They finished third in their World Cup qualifying group behind UEFA Nations League winners Portugal and Slovakia. They drew 2-2 last year in a home friendly against Northern Ireland and lost 1-0 at home to Slovakia last week.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Before the Irish players in this squad can go off on holidays, they have one final friendly to play when they face Luxembourg in the grand duchy on Tuesday evening (kick off 7.45pm Irish time).
The Boys in Green are unbeaten this calendar year and come into the game on the back of last Friday’s 1-1 home draw with Senegal – a game where Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men will feel unlucky they didn’t pick up a victory having led for so long thanks to Kasey McAteer’s first international goal.
We can feel that we are growing every time we play, like how comfortable we were against Senegal,” said the Ireland Head Coach. “That’s one step taken. We can have the same against Luxembourg, so it shouldn’t be up and down performances, it should be consistent performance. That is what we need.
His skipper Nathan Collins also spoke about the springboard from the win over Senegal. “I think a lot of people said I think Senegal was a really big step. I think everyone seen we, we felt comfortable in the game, you know, we looked comfortable as well within our shape.
“I think everybody knew their role to a very high degree of it, and you could see it, it showed on the pitch.”
It was a chastening experience when Ireland lost 1-0 at home to Luxembourg in the March 2021 World Cup qualifier – a result that Stephen Kenny never really recovered from even after a 3-0 win in Luxembourg the following November thanks to goals from Shane Duffy, Chiedozie Ogbene and Callum Robinson.
The Irish gaffer had given a plethora of players an early summer – not picking most of those in the Championship – and it is likely that the ‘in-season’ Shamrock Rovers’ Josh Honohan will get some game time despite having a slight injury concern. However, it seems both Honohan and Jack Taylor (who started on Friday) will be available.
Ex-Bohs man Bosun Lawal has been drafted in since Friday.
Referee: Stefan Ebner (Austria)
MATCH STATS
Luxembourg, ranked 91 in the world (compared with Ireland in 60th spot), have won one and lost six of their seven meetings with the Republic of Ireland in all competitions.
Ireland have won all four of their away matches against Luxembourg in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and conceding just one.
Unbeaten in their last three games, Republic of Ireland are looking to go four without defeat for the first time since a run of eight between September 2021 and March 2022.
Likely Luxembourg lineup
Pereira; Jans, Korac, Carlson; Bohnert, Sinani, Barreiro, Cruz; Rodrigues, Madjo.
Republic of Ireland Squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Max O’Leary (Bristol City), Josh Keeley (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders: Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O’Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Josh Honohan (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Jason Knight (Bristol City), Killian Phillips (St. Mirren), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), John Joe Patrick Finn (Stade De Reims), Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), Bosun Lawal (Stoke City)
Forwards: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Festy Ebosele (Istanbul Basaksehir), Ryan Manning (Southampton)