Iceland vs Luxembourg

Laugardalsvöllur hosts a high-stakes UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group J clash between Iceland and Luxembourg.

Iceland’s disappointing qualifying campaign (W2, L4) leaves them with minimal chances of securing only their second European Championship appearance going into the final four matchdays. Age Hareide’s men at least handed themselves a lifeline in Group J with a narrow 1-0 home win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, ending a three-game losing Euro qualifying streak and whittling down the gap on runners-up Slovakia to seven points. But there’s no time for celebration, considering the hosts, who have lost twice in three Euro 2024 qualifiers on home turf (W1), cannot afford another slip-up. That’s perhaps easier said than done as they take on a Luxembourg side they’ve only defeated once across four previous H2Hs (D2, L1), going down 3-1 in the reverse fixture in September.

On the other hand, Luxembourg’s quest to qualify for the European Championship for the first time in the nation’s history is still alive and kicking despite a humiliating 9-0 defeat at the hand of Portugal last time out. The visitors head into proceedings trailing Group J runners-up Slovakia by three points, having won three consecutive Euro qualifiers before collapsing against the ‘Selecao.’ Since all those wins came by two-goal margins, there’s a chance Luxembourg could improve their goal difference in Reykjavík. Manager Luc Holtz has every reason for optimism as his men have only lost once on their last six international travels (W3, D2), notably registering four clean sheets in that sequence. On the downside, their only previous visit to Iceland yielded a 1-0 defeat.