Preview: Slovakia vs. Luxembourg - prediction, team news, lineups

With two automatic qualification spots up for grabs in each group, there is no reason why these countries cannot compete in what appears to be a wide-open Group J.

Match preview

Having failed to win any of their last five matches, it would be fair to assert that Slovakia do not head into their qualifying games in strong form, with the appointment of their first ever non-Czechoslovakian manager in the shape of Francesco Calzona not going to plan yet.

The 54-year-old, who has regularly been an integral part of Mauricio Sarri's coaching staff before briefly returning to Napoli to assist Luciano Spaletti in more recent times, is embarking on his first senior managerial role after being appointed as the Slovakia boss in August last year.

The Falcons failed to beat Azerbaijan and Berlaus in Calzona's two competitive matches so far, which contributed to them finishing a dismal third in their League C group in the UEFA Nations League, meaning they have failed to gain promotion back to the second tier of that competition in two successive installments.

However, Slovakia's record in qualifying has been more impressive for a relatively small nation, with them qualifying for the World Cup in 2010 as well as both of the most recent European Championships. They went on to win one match at each of those tournaments, reaching the last-16 on two occasions.

As such, Calzona will be aware that he has a lot to live up to, even if there is an argument that the current crop of players he is working with are not quite at the standards of yesteryear.

With the likes of Luxemborg, Iceland and Bosnia & Herzegovina standing in their way of second spot behind Portugal in the group, a strong start on home soil on Thursday feels imperative if they are to secure their main target.

Luxembourg, on the other hand, are clearly a footballing nation moving on an upwards trajectory in recent years, as was most evident by them winning three matches during their qualification campaign for World Cup 2022 as they finished level on points with Republic of Ireland in the process.

The Red Lions have been led by their 55-time capped international Luc Holtz since 2010, with the 53-year-old playing a major role in improving his home country's fortunes since taking over the Under-21's two years prior to receiving the senior job.

Impressively, Luxembourg have only lost one of their last eight matches heading into their trip to Slovakia this week, which was a 2-0 defeat at home to Turkey in the Nations League. For the second successive campaign, Holtz's side were marginally pipped to promotion from League C, with Turkey edging them out by a two-point difference.

The next step for Holtz and his talented set of players is to push towards qualification for a major tournament, with the European Championships undoubtedly providing the best opportunity for that. Finishing third in the group could be enough to secure a play-off spot, so beating direct competitors such as Slovakia could prove crucial.

Slovakia Euro Champ Qualifying form:

Slovakia form (all competitions):

W

L

L

D

D

D

Luxembourg Euro Champ Qualifying form:

Luxembourg form (all competitions):

L

D

D

W

D

D

Team News

Slovakia have retained the services of experienced stars such as Martin Dubravka, Milan Skriniar, Juraj Kucka and Ondrej Duda for the upcoming qualifiers, suggesting the camp remains united despite their poor form in recent times.

However, Slovak legend Marek Hamsik has finally hung up his boots on the international stage, with his 136th and final cap coming in his nation's last match against Chile in November.

Hamsik's creative burden in midfield is now likely to hand over to Stanislav Lobotka, who has been in exceptional form for Serie A leaders Napoli this season. The busy metronome will be looking to feed the likes of Duda and Laszlo Benes from the base of midfield.

Luxembourg, meanwhile, have displayed their growing experience by only naming one potential debutant in their squad, and that is third-choice goalkeeper Tiago Pereira Cardoso. The Borussia Monchengladbach stopper is only 16-years-old, so he is unlikely to see any first-team action in a competitive match any time soon.

Notable absentees in Holtz's squad include Olivier Thill and Maurice Deville, who have made over 100 caps between them, with the bulk of their goalscoring emphasis set to focus around Portuguese-born Gerson Rodrigues.

Slovakia possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Petarik, Hancko, Skriniar, Obert; Hrosovsky, Lobotka, Benes; Suslov, Bozenik, Duda

Luxembourg possible starting lineup:

Moris; Jans, Chanot, Mahmutovic, Pinto; V Thill, Olesen, Barreiro, Sanches; Sinani, Rodrigues

We say: Slovakia 1-1 Luxembourg

Despite Luxembourg enjoying arguably the greatest period of their history as a footballing nation, they still head to Trnava 38 places below their forthcoming opponents in FIFA's World Rankings.

However, Slovakia lack goal threat and have struggled to win matches of late, so we can envisage a share of the spoils as both teams look to build towards snatching second spot in the group.

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