International Friendly
Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland, Stade de Luxembourg.
When
Tuesday 9 June, kick-off 7.45pm.
TV/Player
Watch live build-up and coverage of the match on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7.30pm.
Radio
There is no live coverage of the game.
Online
There will be a live blog on rte.ie/sport, the RTÉ News app, as well as updates and goals on RTÉ Sport on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Weather
A warm day in the Luxembourg capital, with temperatures reaching a high of 21 degrees. A little cooler in the evening with some cloud cover expected.
Ending a long season on a high?
Ireland’s final runout before the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign will take place well off Broadway – Stade de Luxembourg has a capacity on a par with Tallaght Stadium – but offers manager Heimir Hallgrimsson further opportunities to build both squad depth and momentum.
Ninety days out from welcoming Hungary to Dublin – followed by an away trip to Armenia three days later – in a condensed qualifying schedule, the mood music within the Irish camp has changed considerably over the last 12 months.
With the obvious exception of the England defeats, progress has been incremental under the Icelander. Finland was the venue for a rare away win, home and away success against Bulgaria in March preserved our Nations League B status while the performance last week against Senegal was encouraging given the calibre of opposition.
Unbeaten in four of their last five games, the manager has made no secret that taking on a side ranked 91st in the world and coming at the end of the season offers a chance for experimentation.
Given the struggles in recent years, Ireland supporters tend not to underestimate any team and Luxembourg have played a significant part in that recalibration.
Fernandes furore
It’s just four years since Gerson Rodrigues scored the only goal in a World Cup qualifier in Dublin, a significant lowpoint in a Stephen Kenny reign that lurched from disastrous to underwhelming.
The striker is making headlines again in his homeland, but not for reasons that will please manager Luc Holtz.
Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Slovenia was met by demonstrations by supporters after the striker was called into the squad despite his conviction for a domestic abuse offence.
Gerson Rodrigues after scoring what proved to be the match-winner in Dublin four years ago
In a tetchy press conference, Holtz insisted he would not be swayed on his decision to continue selecting the frontman despite the fact Rodrigues was handed an 18-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of beating his partner at the time, former Miss Luxembourg Emilie Boland, in an incident in November 2022, and was also convicted of two other assaults.
“The focus from the team is only on the pitch. All that is not on the pitch does not distract the players. It’s not a distraction, no,” he said.
Pressed on whether further protests would impact the team tomorrow night, he responded: “That’s nothing to interest the team of the coach,” before the press officer intervended on a number of occasions to try and end the discussion.
Home comforts?
Luxembourg’s form in general has been patchy to say the least. With just two clean sheets in their last 13 games and major struggles at the other end – averaging a goal every other game – they have won one of the last five games.
While they have fared better on the road against teams closer to them in the rankings – last year they drew away to Bulgaria and Belarus yet lost to both at home – Northern Ireland will testify to the difficulty in leaving with a win.
In November they threw away a 2-0 lead as Rodrigues again demonstrated his liking of Irish opposition to earn a draw in the Nations League.
A shock victory over a Swedish side spearheaded by Premier League strikers Anthony Elanga and Aleksander Isak in March turned heads, a stark improvement from the 8-0 defeat the last time the two countries crossed paths in 2017.
It points to a general upward trajectory for the small nation, something Hallgrimsson has referenced in the lead-up.
“I wouldn’t look at it as a shock to the nation if we did not get a good result here,” he told the media this week.
Old foes, new rivals
Prior to the 2021 defeat, Ireland enjoyed routine wins over Europe’s seventh-smallest country.
Five wins from five and just two goals conceded, the Dublin debacle was proof for many the Kenny project was ultimately doomed.
Kenny would last another 32 months and 30 games – including a 3-0 at Stade de Luxembourg – in the role, but it is his successor who appears to have brought renewed optimism with improved results.
A much-changed Ireland may struggle for rhythm early on, but the expectation would be the momentum of recent showings should propel the Boys in Green to another positive result.
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