One of the biggest overachievers across all of Euro 2024 qualifying, Luxembourg, will hope to keep their prospects of automatic qualification alive when they host Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday.

Bosnia are already eliminated after a wretched campaign, and Luxembourg need a huge favour from Iceland against Slovakia in one of the other Group J encounters to keep their chances intact heading into the final matchday.

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Luxembourg will enter November's internationals knowing they have likely squandered their golden chance to reach a first-ever major tournament following defeat to Slovakia on matchday eight.

Now having an inferior head-to-head with Slovakia means Luxembourg must hope they win both of their final two qualifiers - versus Bosnia and Liechtenstein - while hoping the side in second lose both - against Iceland and Bosnia.

A 3-1 win over Iceland on matchday five put Luxembourg in the driving seat to qualify automatically against all odds, but since then their form has nosedived.

A 9-0 massacre at the hands of Portugal has not been recovered from, as they then drew with Iceland and lost at home to closest rivals Slovakia.

Had it not been for an incredible miss in the final seconds by Gerson Rodrigues in their draw with Iceland on matchday seven, things may have played out very differently though, but Slovakia now find themselves huge favourites to qualify.

With Turkey already through automatically, it does mean Luxembourg are guaranteed a playoff spot in Path C based on their Nations League performance, where there is a strong chance they will face Georgia in a semi-final before facing one of Greece or Kazakhstan for a place at the finals.

No nation in Europe has played more competitive international without ever featuring at a major tournament, and Luc Holtz will desperately hope he can be the man to break that duck.

Having first entered qualification for the 1934 World Cup, this is their 37th qualifying campaign across respective World Cup and European Championships, and they have never been quite as close as this.

Bosnia had their fate sealed in an absolutely rotten campaign last month, as automatic qualification is now beyond them.

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After the highs of reaching the 2014 World Cup and coming so close to reaching the two major tournaments prior to that, the Bosnian national side and its FA have since been a complete basket case.

Since independence from Yugoslavia, Bosnia have failed in all six previous campaigns to reach the Euros, despite the recent expansion to 24 teams.

Hopes of making it seventh-time lucky are not yet beyond Bosnia, because they will enter the playoffs thanks to their Nations League performance in 2022, but they are in dreadful form.

Excluding games against Liechtenstein, Bosnia have lost five in a row, including at home to their upcoming opponents in humiliating circumstances in a scoreline that was regarded as their worst-ever since they became an independent country by the national press.

With the fans also turning against them, many only turned up to their clash with Portugal to watch Cristiano Ronaldo, with many celebrating with him as Portugal raced into a 5-0 half-time lead in Zenica as Bosnia were thrashed.

Form at home is not great, but their record outside of Bosnia is even worse, as they have won just three away games in five years - against Liechtenstein twice and Kazakhstan.

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It will be a momentous day for Luxembourg captain Laurent Jans as he is set to make his 100th appearance for the national side here.

In front of him, brothers Sebastien Thill, Vincent Thill and Olivier Thill could all start in midfield for the hosts, with Yvandro Borges Sanches out injured.

Eldin Dzogovic is also absent from the squad, but Holtz has called up two other ethnic Yugoslavs to his squad in the form of Edvin Muratovic and Enes Mahmutovic, to face one of the region's former nations.

With Bosnia now eliminated, they are without their three main players who have all pulled out of the squad - captain Edin Dzeko, Sead Kolasinac and Miralem Pjanic, who will not face the nation he represented at youth level.

Along with Kolasinac, manager Savo Milosevic will be without injured pair Anel Ahmedhodzic and Adrian Leon Barisic in defence, as well as his goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic, who is not in the squad, so Nikola Vasilj is set to come in between the sticks.

Backup striker Kenan Kodro also can not be called upon in Dzeko's absence after he announced his international retirement following the defeat against Iceland in September.

Luxembourg possible starting lineup:
Moris; Jans, Gerson, Chanot, Martins; V Thill, Barreiro Martins, Martins Pereira, S Thill; Sinani, Rodrigues

Bosnia-Herzegovina possible starting lineup:
Vasilj; Dedic, Hadzikadunic, Kovacevic, Gazibegovic; Hadziahmetovic, Cimirot, Krunic; Stevanovic, Demirovic, Tahirovic

We say: Luxembourg 0-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Luxembourg's bubble appears to have burst with just one point in their previous three qualifiers, almost ending hopes of finishing in the top two.

Bosnia have been a hapless mess in this group, but prior to their defeat in June, they had won all seven previous meetings with Luxembourg, keeping six clean sheets, and they will be determined to avoid a repeat of that dark day in Zenica over the summer.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Andrew Delaney

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