Luxembourg vs Malta – News and Probable Lineups

Luxemburgo will aim to stave off relegation in the UEFA Nations League as they host Malta at the Stade de Luxemburgo on Tuesday.

This match marks the second leg of a playoff for promotion and relegation, with the home side in a favorable position after securing a 2-0 victory in the first leg.

Match overview

Luxemburgo has struggled throughout their 2024-25 Nations League campaign, failing to secure a win in any of their six matches, ultimately finishing at the bottom of League C Group Three with three losses and three draws.

Consequently, they find themselves in the playoffs seeking to avoid dropping to League D for the first time since 2019.

Prior to the first leg, Jeff Strasser’s squad came off a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign, losing all six of their matches against teams like Alemanha, Eslováquia, and Northern Irlanda.

Nonetheless, Luxemburgo achieved their first competitive win since 2023 by defeating Malta 2-0 in the initial leg of their playoff on Thursday.

Goals from Vincent Thill and Mathias Olesen put Luxemburgo in a commanding position as they head into the second leg at home.

In contrast, Malta must engineer an extraordinary turnaround to clinch promotion following their loss in the first leg.

Manager Emilio De Leo expressed frustration with his team’s finishing in the aftermath of the match, claiming they “created a multitude of scoring opportunities” yet “failed to find the back of the net”.

However, De Leo maintained that Malta has the potential to overturn the two-goal deficit in the second leg, asserting “there is no doubt in my mind that the team has demonstrated we can compete in League C”.

Despite this, Malta has won only one of their nine competitive matches since De Leo took over, that being a 1-0 win against Finlândia in a World Cup qualifier last November.

Team News

Following their success in the first leg, Luxemburgo is unlikely to make many alterations, indicating that Daniel Sinani is set to continue as the main striker.

Thill is expected to start again on the wing after his goal on Thursday, while fellow scorer Olesen will be joined in midfield by Christopher Martins and Leandro Barreiro.

Malta may need to make at least one adjustment due to midfielder Teddy Teuma’s injury in the first leg, with Jake Grech likely set to take his place.

Irvin Cardona is expected to maintain his position up front, receiving support on the flanks from Paul Mbong and Ilyas Chouaref.

Luxemburgo probable starting XI:

Life; Jans, Korac, Carlson, Bohnert; Thill, Martins, Olesen, Barreiro, Dardari; Sinani

Malta probable starting XI:

Bonello; Muscat, Pepe, Shaw, Camenzuli; Guillaumier, Satariano; Mbong, Grech, Chouaref; Cardona

Confidence will be high in the Luxemburgo camp following their victory in the first leg, and a similar outcome is anticipated on Tuesday.