Northern Ireland v Luxembuourg (05/09/2024)

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE - GROUP C3 NORTHERN IRELAND V LUXEMBOURG

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

MICHAEL O’NEILL PATRICK NELSON

NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD

JOSH MAGENNIS DID YOU KNOW? THE OPPONENTS CONOR HAZARD

INTERNATIONAL RECORD

IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT: CONRAD KIRKWOOD CHIEF EXECUTIVE: PATRICK NELSON ADVERTISING: IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PICTURES: PRESS EYE

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION BY IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION NATIONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM, DONEGALL AVE, BELFAST BT12 5LW

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: DANNY LYNCH EDITOR: NIGEL TILSON

DESIGN: MADCOLOUR.COM PRINT: MADCOLOUR.COM

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIEWS IN THIS PROGRAMME DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.

IRISHFA.COM

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

LUXEMBOURG RED & WHITE

MANAGER M. O’NEILL

HEAD COACH L. HOLTZ

A. MORIS (UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL) T. PEREIRA CARDOSO (B MONCHENGLADBACH (GER) R. SCHON (FC WILTZ 71) C. ANDRADE BRITES (F91 DUDELANGE)

B. PEACOCK-FARRELL (BIRMINGHAM CITY) C. HAZARD (PLYMOUTH ARGYLE) L. SOUTHWOOD (BOLTON WANDERERS) P. McNAIR (WEST BROMWICH ALBION)* J. LEWIS (SAO PAULO (BRA)** D. BALLARD (SUNDERLAND) C. BROWN (OXFORD UNITED) T. HUME (SUNDERLAND) E. TOAL (BOLTON WANDERERS) G. SAVILLE (MILLWALL) A. McCANN (PRESTON NORTH END) C. BRADLEY (LIVERPOOL) S. CHARLES (SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY)*** I. PRICE (STANDARD LIEGE) P. SMYTH (QUEENS PARK RANGERS) E. GALBRAITH (LEYTON ORIENT) R. McCAUSLAND (RANGERS) B. LYONS (KILMARNOCK) C. BOYD-MUNCE (ST MIRREN) J. MAGENNIS (EXETER CITY) D. CHARLES (BOLTON WANDERERS) S. LAVERY (CAMBRIDGE UNITED) C. MARSHALL (HUDDERSFIELD TOWN)****

D. CARLSON (SKN ST POLTEN (AUT) M. CHANOT (LOS ANGELES FC (USA) K. D’ANZICO (FC DIFFERDANGE 03) E. DZOGOVIC (1 FC MAGDEBURG (GER) L. GERSON (KONGSVINGER IL (NOR) L. JANS (SK BEVEREN (BEL) E. MAHMUTOVIC (NAC BREDA (NED) M. PINTO (UNATTACHED)

L. BARREIRO (SL BENFICA (POR) F. BOHNERT (SC BASTIA (FRA) S. IKENE (1 FC NURNBERG (GER) F. LOHEI (FC METZ (FRA) C. MARTINS PEREIRA (SPARTAK MOSCOW (RUS) M. OLESEN (1 FC KOLN (GER) T. RUPIL (FC SCHALKE 04 (GER) S. THILL (STAL RZESZOW (POL) E. VEIGA (AVS FUTEBOL (POR) E. MURATOVIC (ODRA OPOLE (POL) G. RODRIGUES (GUANXI PINGGUO HALIAO (CHN)

D. SINANI (FC ST PAULI (GER) J. VIDEIRA (HANNOVER 96 (GER)

* ON LOAN FROM SAN DIEGO FC ** ON LOAN FROM NEWCASTLE UNITED *** ON LOAN FROM SOUTHAMPTON **** ON LOAN FROM WEST HAM UNITED

MATCH DAY OFFICIALS REFEREE : MARIAN ALEXANDRU BARBU (ROU)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 1 : VASILE FLORIN MARINESCU (ROU) ASSISTANT REFEREE 2 : MIHAI OVIDIU ARTENE (ROU) 4TH OFFICIAL : RARES VIDICAN (ROU) VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE : SEBASTIAN CONSTANTIN COLTESCU (ROU) ASSISTANT VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE : IULIAN DIMA (ROU)

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

And so another campaign begins. Welcome to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast for this opening game in League C Group 3 in the UEFA Nations League.

Northern Ireland have quite a pedigree as the plucky underdogs and the preparation work for the team out of possession and in defence is likely to be crucial for this Nations League campaign as a whole. Tonight’s opponents Luxembourg finished third in their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind France and Belgium so they are no slouches. Of course, the international retirements of Davis, Dallas and Evans present a further opportunity for the next generation to stake their claim and to make history. Michael O’Neill has used 27 players over the past four games. Fourteen were aged under 24 and nine were under 21. This campaign will certainly allow for the further development of the young squad. No sooner will tonight’s game be over until we travel to Bulgaria. Our last game there was in Sofia and this time we go to Plovdiv, which will provide a different experience for supporters. The temperature in Bulgaria will be much warmer than here and is likely to be an issue for fans and players alike. I had the opportunity to catch up with some of our travelling support in Mallorca prior to the friendly against Spain. I thank them for their support and my thanks goes in advance to those of you who will travel to Bulgaria’s second largest city this weekend to cheer our team on. CONRAD KIRKWOOD PRESIDENT IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

At one point it would have been unimaginable to begin a game or a campaign without Steven Davis, Jonny Evans and Stuart Dallas. Time is cruel but especially so for the life of an international footballer. Few of 2016’s Kings of Lyon remain in the squad, but oh what special memories the latest trio of retirees have given us. Memories for our up and coming players were made in the summer. The Men’s Under-19 Euro final tournament provided a great opportunity for Irish FA staff and volunteers to demonstrate their professionalism as well as showcasing Northern Ireland. It was Michael Owen who opined “the better the opposition put in front of you, the better your team plays”. Gareth McAuley’s U19 squad had the chance to play the best teams in Europe at their age level. Our players will have learned so much from that experience and will improve their own game as a result. Italy and Spain were both so strong and it was little surprise that Spain’s Under-19s emulated the success of their senior squad. This year’s Euros in Germany once again showed that international games are all tough; 72% of the matches were drawn or decided by a solitary goal. And Slovenia, Georgia and Romania showed that it is possible to concede plenty of possession and still win. Our own loss in a friendly to the eventual European champions in Palma in June was a valuable learning experience for our young players in particular – and it also showed how strong the top teams can be.

IRISHFA.COM

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There’s a lot of positivity around our squad ahead of what will be Northern Ireland’s fourth UEFA Nations League campaign.

Naturally, it was nice to bounce back with a win against Andorra in the second game of our early summer tour to Spain. In that friendly we had lots of energy and executed the game plan well, and we could have had more goals than the two we scored without reply. Since that trip to Spain, of course, we have lost another of our key senior players in captain Jonny Evans. And since our last home game in November last year both long-serving captain Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas have left the stage, too. Naturally, I would have wanted all three to play on for Northern Ireland as long as they could, but unfortunately injury cut short both Steven and Stuart’s careers, while Jonny has opted to concentrate on club football as his playing career draws to a close. All three of them always loved playing for their country and we will miss their quality and presence in the games ahead. However, I believe we have shown in the past that we will be able to cope without them. We have to, simple as that. I can sense a desire within the players this week to push on again, starting with tonight’s game. They are looking forward to playing at the National Stadium for the first time this year, with the fans getting behind them. I will be looking for a good performance and a solid start to the latest Nations League campaign. Thanks, as ever, for your fantastic support.

Our last home game, against Denmark, gave the younger players in particular a real sense of belief that they belong on the international stage, and that’s something we have to harness. Yes, the defeat against Spain in June was a blip, however in general the squad is developing well and the mood is good in the camp ahead of our first double header of a new campaign. Luxembourg have also been developing nicely under long-serving manager Luc Holtz in recent years and I believe they will be really tough opponents this evening. They have some very talented players who produced a string of good results in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. They finished third in Group J – behind Portugal and Slovakia – on 17 points. And, of course, they also reached the Euro 2024 play-offs, by virtue of a strong showing in their last Nations League campaign, only to be We started the year with challenge matches against Euros-bound Romania and Scotland, and we performed really well in both games. The players showed plenty of endeavour, skill and resilience in securing a draw in Bucharest and a win in Glasgow. Although we were defeated 5-1 by eventual European champions Spain in a friendly in June, I believe the game was a great learning experience for our players. We were under severe pressure for most of the match, but we still managed to create chances. We could have taken a game against a team at a similar level to us, however I wanted the players to play against the best, to show them what’s required to operate at the highest level of international football. defeated by Georgia. But back to our squad.

Enjoy the game. MICHAEL O’NEILL NORTHERN IRELAND MANAGER

IRISHFA.COM

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GOOD EVENING Welcome to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for our first senior men’s international at home in almost a year.

Since the final whistle blew here on a 2-0 win over Denmark just after 9.30pm on Monday 20 November last year we’ve been on the road, and a good road it’s been for the most part. March saw us play Romania and Scotland, two countries who had qualified for UEFA Euro 2024, just like the Danes. A draw in Bucharest and a win in Glasgow showed we were on the way back. June was more mixed as an early Dan Ballard goal gave us hope against eventual Euro winners Spain in Mallorca, however their class showed in the end as they handed us our only defeat of the year to date. We rounded June off with a slightly surreal match against Andorra in Murcia where Conor Bradley’s two goals warmed up the few supporters who had managed to make it. Tonight we kick off our fourth UEFA Nations League campaign and it’s probably time that we made a positive impact on the competition. The three previous UEFA Nations League editions have been disappointing, in particular the 2022 version where we were top seeds in our group within League C. This year in League C we face Luxembourg, who we welcome as our visitors this evening, Belarus and Bulgaria. Tomorrow we fly to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city, to complete this month’s double header. And next month we will play the Belarus away game in Hungary; as everyone knows

Belarus are not allowed to play club or country games at home since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The UEFA Nations League has become a very important tournament since it was introduced in 2018. Not only is there the elation of possible promotion (or the agony of relegation) but Nations League placings are used to determine seeding positions for the regular UEFA European qualifiers so there is a significant impact beyond just the game on the night. While tonight we focus on the senior men’s team, we should also note that Northern Ireland staged a very successful UEFA Men’s Under-19 Euro tournament this summer. After 16 games over 14 days played at Inver Park, Seaview and here at the National Football Stadium, Spain ran out winners with a 2-0 victory over France in front of over 8,000 spectators. Our own team, led by Gareth McAuley, performed well on this big stage and certainly enhanced their reputations. Enjoy the game tonight and let’s hope we have three points on the board to take to Bulgaria.

PATRICK NELSON CHIEF EXECUTIVE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

IRISHFA.COM

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

POS: CLUB: GOALKEEPER BIRMINGHAM CITY BAILEY PEACOCK-FARRELL

CONOR HAZARD

LUKE SOUTHWOOD

PATRICK McNAIR

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER WEST BROMWICH ALBION

GOALKEEPER PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

GOALKEEPER BOLTON WANDERERS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

27

46

0

26

8

0

26

1

0

29

69

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ON LOAN FROM SAN DIEGO FC

JAMAL LEWIS

DANIEL BALLARD

CIARON BROWN

TRAI HUME

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER SAO PAULO (BRA)

DEFENDER SUNDERLAND

DEFENDER OXFORD UNITED

DEFENDER SUNDERLAND

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

26

36

0

24

24

3

26

19

0

22

13

0

ON LOAN FROM NEWCASTLE UNITED

EOIN TOAL

GEORGE SAVILLE

ALISTAIR McCANN

CONOR BRADLEY

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER BOLTON WANDERERS

MIDFIELDER PRESTON NORTH END

MIDFIELDER LIVERPOOL

MIDFIELDER MILLWALL

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

25

6

0

31

51

0

24

22

1

21

17

3

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SHEA CHARLES

ISAAC PRICE

PAUL SMYTH

ETHAN GALBRAITH

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

MIDFIELDER QUEENS PARK RANGERS

MIDFIELDER STANDARD LIEGE

MIDFIELDER LEYTON ORIENT

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

20

17

0

20

12

2

26

10

2

23

3

0

ON LOAN FROM SOUTHAMPTON

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER RANGERS ROSS McCAUSLAND

BRAD LYONS

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER ST MIRREN CAOLAN BOYD-MUNCE

JOSH MAGENNIS

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER KILMARNOCK

FORWARD EXETER CITY

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

21

3

0

27

1

0

24

2

0

34

79

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DION CHARLES

SHAYNE LAVERY

CALLUM MARSHALL

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

FORWARD BOLTON WANDERERS

FORWARD CAMBRIDGE UTD

FORWARD HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

28

22

3

25

19

3

19

4

0

ON LOAN FROM WEST HAM UTD

IRISHFA.COM

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JOS JOSH MAGENNIS THE ELDER STATESMAN Josh Magennis can clearly remember walking into the Culloden Hotel on his first call-up to the Northern Ireland senior squad. NIR V LUX

SQUAD NO: 21 \ NI APP: 79 CLUBS: CARDIFF CITY 9, GRIMSBY TOWN (LOAN) 2, ABERDEEN 105, ST MIRREN (LOAN) 13, KILMARNOCK 72, CHARLTON ATHLETIC 81,

BOLTON WANDERERS 42, HULL CITY 88, WIGAN ATHLETIC 86, EXETER CITY

PLACE OF BIRTH: BANGOR HEIGHT: 188CM WEIGHT: 91KG

DATE OF BIRTH: 15-08-1990

POSITION: FORWARD

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OSH WORDS: MARK STERLING IRISHFA.COM 13

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JOSH MAGENNIS THE ELDER STATESMAN

“It was unfamiliar when the new faces started coming in but Michael is very good at creating scenarios that allow for team bonding, so you get to know each other very quickly. “In the past footballers would have met in the pub and had a good old chat, but those days are gone. It is about trying to keep everyone together without being intrusive. “Michael always makes it enjoyable. Whether we go for a walk, do a quiz or go out for a meal, Michael is quite forthcoming with those ideas. He is big on the team dynamic and has been since he came in.” As he looked ahead to a UEFA Nations League campaign in a C3 group that includes games against Belarus as well as Bulgaria and Luxembourg, Magennis was in no doubt about what Northern Ireland’s ambitions should be. And, on the verge of his 80th cap, the former Wigan Athletic, Hull City, Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Cardiff City striker insists his appetite for representing his country will never fade. He said: “If you’d asked me a few years ago I’d have said this campaign would be about progression and learning but I think we have to be competing to win and finish top of the table. “I think everyone in our group will feel they can beat anybody but we have the quality to do that consistently, and that is what will set us apart. We are going into this campaign genuinely thinking we can win the group and that is how we will prepare.” He added: “I can’t really describe the feeling I get when playing for Northern Ireland. I’ve said it before, I never take getting to play for my country for granted. I approach every cap like I did my first.” Only with a lot more responsibility now than back then, of course.

Sitting in the room were legends such as Steven Davis, Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans and Aaron Hughes, and Magennis would go on to form strong bonds with them all. However, he laughs as he says he finds himself looking around the camp these days and wondering where all of his mates have gone, with Evans’ retirement last month the latest in what has been a steady stream of Northern Ireland greats exiting the international stage. Indeed such has been the churn of players in recent years that Magennis and Paddy McNair are the only players in Michael O’Neill’s squad for this upcoming Nations League double header at home to Luxembourg and away to Bulgaria that played in Euro 2016. Being the experienced player, however, is a role the 34-year-old is comfortable with. “What Paddy and I have on the international stage is experience of the set-up,” he said. “As much as you need to look after yourself and make sure you perform well, you have an obligation to your team-mates to try and help show them the way. “When I first came in I remember not knowing things like where to go and have dinner, where to get your kit or what time to be at training for. I had to learn all that and had senior players teaching me. Now I’m one of those senior players.” So, with so few of the Euro 2016 squad left, does it feel like a changing of the guard almost two years into O’Neill’s second spell in charge? “Sort of,” continued Magennis, who is enjoying life at Exeter City after a summer move to the League One club. “We have seen the amount of new players that are coming in. For a long time we were blessed with continuity and you could more or less pick the squad apart from one or two new faces.

IRISHFA.COM

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MARSHALL GILLESPIE

Midfielder George Saville earned his 50th cap for Northern Ireland in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Finland last year. Here Marshall Gillespie charts his international career to date.

In total George has played 3465 minutes in his 51 games for his country. The majority of those minutes have been in Euro qualifiers – 1365 – while 939 have come in Nations League games, 633 in friendly matches and 537 in World Cup qualifiers.

Saville, whose grandmother was from Enniskillen, was given his full international debut by Michael O’Neill when he came on as a substitute to replace Corry Evans 10 minutes from time in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in October 2017. At the time he was the 18th player that Michael O’Neill had given a debut to and the 723rd to be capped by Ireland/ Northern Ireland.

During his seven-year stint as a full international Saville has been booked on 10 occasions. His first yellow card came in October 2018 in a 2-0 Nations League defeat in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His last caution in a Northern Ireland game came in last November’s memorable 2-0 victory over Denmark at the National Stadium.

George Saville has not managed to score in his 51 international appearances to date, making him one of only eight outfield players to win more than half a century of caps never to find the net for Northern Ireland. The other seven are: Mal Donaghy 96 caps Chris Baird 79 David McCreery 67 Nigel Worthington 66 Ollie Norwood 57 Damien Johnson 56 Stephen Craigan 54

Saville has started 39 of his 51 appearances for his country, being substituted in 21 of them. He has only been an unused substitute on one occasion. George’s full playing record at senior international level is: P W D L W% D% L% 51 15 8 28 29 16 55

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He won his first five full international caps whilst playing for Millwall before he moved to Middlesbrough for a reported £8 million following a successful loan spell. During his time at Boro he played a further 26 internationals before returning to Millwall in the summer of 2021. He has since added a further 20 caps as a Millwall player over that three-year period.

Saville began his professional career at Chelsea, although he never made a first team appearance for the west London outfit. Over the past 12 years he has played a total of 424 club games, scoring 40 goals. He has played for: Brentford (loan: 44 apps, four goals); Wolves (57 apps, six goals); Bristol City (loan - eight apps, one goal); Middlesbrough (118 apps, 12 goals) and Millwall (197 apps, 17 goals).

Nineteen of George’s 51 caps have come in Euro qualifiers, 12 in Nations League games, 10 in World Cup qualifiers and another 10 in friendly internationals. Those 51 appearances came in the following months: 11 in both September and November; 10 in October and March; eight in June, plus one in May, which was a 3-0 friendly victory over Malta in Austria in 2021.

Saville has chalked up three assists in his seven years as a

senior international. His first was for Stuart Dallas in a 3-0 friendly victory over Israel in Belfast in 2018. His second was when he won a penalty which Steven Davis converted in a 2-0 ECQ win at home to Estonia in March 2019 and later that year he set up Michael Smith for a spectacular early goal in a 6-1 defeat to Germany in a Euro qualifier in Frankfurt.

A total of 40 of Saville’s full international caps have come during Michael O’Neill’s two stints in charge of Northern Ireland. The remaining 11 appearances all came during Ian Baraclough’s tenure between September 2020 and September 2022.

IRISHFA.COM

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Andy Greeves invites former Northern Ireland internationals to choose their best 11. The line-up can include players past and present and not necessarily former team-mates. Here Paul McVeigh chooses his squad… PAUL M C VEIGH’S BEST XI

GK – ROB GREEN His ruthless dedication and desire to be the best he could be really shone for me. When I was at Norwich with him, he was pretty much first in and last out at training every day. LB – ADAM DRURY Adam was captain at Norwich City when we won the First Division title in 2004 and got promoted to the Premier League. I spent a lot of my time at Norwich on the left wing with Adam behind me, which gave me the confidence to get forward. CB – SOL CAMPBELL Sol was immense in every sense of the word – the biggest, toughest, hardest, fastest defender you could come up against. He was part of the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ team. A world class player. CB – AARON HUGHES What a career Aaron had. He was in the Newcastle first team from the age of 18 and obviously he went on to play hundreds of matches in the Premier League and over 100 times for Northern Ireland. He was a Rolls-Royce of a player. RB – STEPHEN CARR Stephen Carr was an exceptional player. I remember Spurs-Manchester United matches during my time at Tottenham and Stephen Carr always dealt so well with Ryan Giggs. LM – DAVID GINOLA I was at Spurs with David Ginola. I never played a competitive first team match with him, but from training with him alone he’d have to make my team. David was just incredible with his ability to keep running past players with absolute ease. CM – WES HOOLAHAN I had a season with Wes at Norwich City. He was in my top three in terms of the most technically gifted players I played with during my career. There weren’t many players around in that era who could do the sort of things with a football that Wes could.

CM – PHIL MULRYNE Having played with him for almost two decades, Phil Mulryne has to go into my midfield. Phil had a bit of everything. He could dribble, he could score goals and he was an incredible passer of the ball. RM – DARREN ANDERTON Darren Anderton was possibly as good technically as David Beckham but didn’t have the same profile. For that reason some people might not have appreciated quite how good ‘Shaggy’ was. FW – TEDDY SHERINGHAM I made my professional debut for Tottenham alongside him and what a player he was. He won the Premier League Golden Boot at Tottenham and went on to win the treble at Manchester United. Teddy was such an intelligent player. FW – DEAN ASHTON It’s such a shame that Dean had to retire at the age of 26 due to injury. I believe he would have become a top class striker for club and country if that injury hadn’t happened. SUBS JURGEN KLINSMANN – I’m going for attacking players on my bench and there aren’t many better than Jurgen Klinsmann. DARREN HUCKERBY – Phenomenal during my time at Norwich City. DION DUBLIN – Dion was a class centre forward. CRAIG BELLAMY – He was immense during his time at Norwich. LES FERDINAND – An incredible finisher.

IRISHFA.COM

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WORDS: William Campbell

REMEMBERING HEROES OF THE PAST

In the 30 years from 1983 to 2013 I was privileged to manage 110 international matches at Windsor Park. Good ones, great ones, diabolical ones, famous victories, dismal draws and devastating defeats. There were great goals, memorable goals, scrappy goals, goals that should have been prevented and goals that could not have been. Whilst I was central to the organisation of the games, quite rightly I remained unimportant. The only important people at an international football match are, of course, the players. No-one ever sought my autograph or asked me for my shirt (it would have been always yellow in the latter years anyway) and that is as it should be.

HEROES OF THE PAST (CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) CHRIS NICHOLL, JIMMY McLAUGHLIN AND TOMMY CASSIDY

So I think it only right that we should remember three of our heroes who have sadly passed away since our last home international against Denmark back in November. Two of them were heroes of Spain ’82, while the other was a man with a tremendous goalscoring record who scored two goals against England despite injury. Chris Nicholl, who died in March, and Tommy Cassidy, who passed in July, were both members of Billy Bingham’s squad in Spain.

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Mind you, it was to Tommy that Bingham turned in Valencia after Mal Donaghy was disgracefully sent off and Sammy McIlroy had to go off due to injury. Tommy came on to calm things down and get on the ball when we were one up against Spain. His contribution that night should never be underestimated. After his playing career Tommy went on to manage in Cyprus, the north of England and memorably his beloved Glentoran with whom he won the Irish Cup in 1996. Finally, we have Jimmy McLaughlin, who passed away last month. Although probably better recognised as a manager in the League of Ireland, where he had success with Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and his hometown team Derry City, Jimmy also won 12 caps for Northern Ireland in the 1960s when a player with Shrewsbury Town and Swansea. His six goals in 12 matches was a fine return and included two in a 4-3 defeat to England in 1964 at Windsor Park, a match in which England were 4-0 up at half-time thanks to a Jimmy Greaves hat-trick before a George Best-inspired second half comeback nearly produced a shock. And Jimmy scored twice despite breaking two fingers in the first half. We salute our former players for their endeavours in a green shirt. Thanks guys!

Nicholl, always described as a rugged old fashioned centre half, belied his reputation as a hard man by being an intelligent and articulate student of the game who went on to manage Southampton and Aston Villa as well as the Northern Ireland Under-21 team when Lawrie McMenemy was our senior manager. This does not ignore the fact that Chris could look after himself on the field; his broken nose told its own story. However, he was a clever and capable footballer who, alongside John McClelland, provided a near impenetrable wall in front of Pat Jennings on which Billy Bingham based his success. If they don’t score then we can nick something at the other end, that was Bingham’s mantra. Chris played in all five matches in Spain ’82, including the famous game against the Spanish in Valencia. Seeing Chrís Nicholl in the green shirt in his 51 internationals gave the fans confidence. He was a true hero. Tommy Cassidy mostly plied his trade in midfield, starting off at Glentoran and then at Newcastle United and Burnley. Tommy was a ball playing midfielder, cultured and intelligent, a beautiful passer of the ball. Until Conor Bradley’s goal in March, Tommy was the last Northern Ireland player to score a winner against Scotland in their own backyard. He got his goal at Hampden Park in Glasgow in 1972. Never a shrinking violet, Tommy had strong views which at times found him at odds with international managers Danny Blanchflower and Billy Bingham and probably curtailed his caps tally.

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WORDS: IAN PARKER

THE COACH: LUXEMBOURG

It is 14 years since the Luxembourg Football Federation asked Luc Holtz to step up from his role as under 21s boss and serve as a caretaker boss following the resignation of Guy Hellers. At the time Luxembourg remained among the whipping boys of European football and were ranked a lowly 134th by FIFA. But Holtz soon shrugged off the interim tag as he ushered in a new era which has seen Luxembourg rise through the ranks. The team from the Grand Duchy still hold the record for playing in the most World Cup and European qualifying campaigns without ever reaching a major tournament, however they have at least now come close - reaching the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs under a man who now ranks as the most successful manager in Luxembourg’s history. As a midfield playmaker Holtz had been one of the star players in Luxembourg - capped 55 times by his country, winning two titles with Avenir Beggen and being named Footballer of the Year in 1993. He began his managerial career while still a player, spending a decade as player-manager of Etzella-Ettelbruck. They lifted the Luxembourg Cup in 2001 but then suffered relegation a year later, with Holtz leading them straight back up before they finished as top flight runners-up in 2004-05 and 2006-07. And they earned a place in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in five straight seasons.

PHOTO: SPORTSPRESS.LU

After retiring as a player and leaving the club in 2008, Holtz spent two years in charge of his country’s under-21s side before Hellers’ exit prompted a step up. His first match in charge of the national team came just a week into the job and was a painful one - a 5-1 loss to Wales in Llanelli where Craig Bellamy and Ashley Williams were among the goalscorers. But 133 matches later Holtz boasts a record of 32 wins and 25 draws alongside 77 defeats, with Luxembourg’s world ranking having risen some 50 places during his reign - all the way up to 84th. Last September Holtz created a stir when he stormed off down the tunnel with 10 minutes still left in the game after Portugal had scored the eighth of their goals in a 9-0 Euro 2024 qualifying rout. But such results are an exception these days and Holtz’s work in developing a Luxembourg team that have made themselves a much tougher nut to crack was recognised with a two-year contract extension back in December. Their performances in the Nations League earned them a ticket to the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs. Although their campaign ended in a 2-0 defeat to Georgia, it was a measure of the progress Luxembourg have made under their long-serving boss.

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THE SQUAD: LUXEMBOURG WORDS: IAN PARKER

ANTHONY MORIS GOALKEEPER

TIAGO PEREIRA CARDOSO GOALKEEPER BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH (GER) AGE 18 CAPS 1 GOALS 0 Seen as a talented prospect, Pereira Cardoso skipped several levels when he went from the Under-17s to earn his first senior international call up in June 2023, making his debut in a 1-0 friendly loss to Malta that summer. He joined Borussia Monchengladbach’s academy in 2022.

RALPH SCHON GOALKEEPER FC WILTZ 71 AGE 34 CAPS 18 GOALS 0

UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL) AGE 34 CAPS 65 GOALS 0 Moris played for Belgium at various youth levels up to Under-21 but was eligible for Luxembourg via his father and made the switch in 2013, gaining a call-up the following year and quickly establishing himself as the regular senior team keeper. He has spent his entire playing career in Belgium, joining Union SG in 2020. CHRISTOPHE ANDRADE BRITES DEFENDER F91 DUDELANGE AGE 17 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Still only 17, Andrade Brites has barely made a mark in senior football to date but it is a measure of the potential seen in the young right-sided player that he has been called into the senior squad for the new campaign. KEVIN D’ANZICO DEFENDER FC DIFFERDANGE 03 AGE 24 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Two years after earning the last of his 15 caps for his country’s Under-21s, D’Anzico has been rewarded for his club form with Differdange in the Luxembourg top flight by receiving his first senior call-up. LAURENT JANS DEFENDER SK BEVEREN (BEL) AGE 32 CAPS 102 GOALS 1 Captain Jans is the most capped player in the current squad and one of only three players to have earned more than 100 caps in Luxembourg’s history. His career has included spells with Metz, Paderborn, Standard Liege and Sparta Rotterdam.

Schon made his international debut in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in 2018 (a 3-1 defeat) and has been the long term back-up to Moris. He joined his hometown club of FC Wiltz 71 in 2020.

DIRK CARLSON DEFENDER SKN ST POLTEN (AUT)

MAXIME CHANOT DEFENDER LOS ANGELES FC (USA)

AGE 26 CAPS 54 GOALS 0 Born in Portland, Oregon, in the United States but raised in Europe, Carlson first broke through in Luxembourg’s domestic scene at the start of a career which has taken him to Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and most recently Austria.

AGE 34 CAPS 69 GOALS 4 French-born Chanot began his professional career in England, joining Sheffield United from French club Reims’ academy and playing a handful of games on loan at Mansfield. Chanot won the MLS Cup with New York City in 2021 and has been a member of the national team for a decade.

ELDIN DZOGOVIC DEFENDER 1 FC MAGDEBURG (GER) AGE 21 CAPS 5 GOALS 0 Dzogovic was given his Luxembourg debut as a 19-year-old, playing in a

LARS GERSON DEFENDER KONGSVINGER IL (NOR)

AGE 34 CAPS 96 GOALS 4 Gerson’s international debut came in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Wales in March 2008 as Freddy Eastwood got both goals. Gerson has spent the bulk of his club career in Norway - he holds dual citizenship - and in 2022 he returned to his boyhood club Kongsvinger.

1-0 friendly defeat to Qatar while still in the reserves at German club FC Magdeburg. Predominantly a right-back, Dzogovic can play across the backline and also on the right of midfield.

ENES MAHMUTOVIC DEFENDER NAC BREDA (NED) AGE 27 CAPS 32 GOALS 0

MICA PINTO DEFENDER UNATTACHED

AGE 31 CAPS 32 GOALS 1 Left-back Pinto represented Portugal at youth level but in 2020 he accepted a call-up from Luxembourg and made his debut against Liechtenstein in October of that year at the age of 28. He left Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem by mutual consent in late August.

Kosovo-born Mahmutovic signed for Middlesbrough in 2017 and scored on his debut, a 3-3 Carabao Cup draw with Notts County, thus becoming the first Luxembourger to score a professional goal in English football. He spent time on loan with Yeovil before being released, playing for CSKA Sofia before joining NAC Breda this summer.

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CHRISTOPHER MARTINS PEREIRA MIDFIELDER SPARTAK MOSCOW (RUS) AGE 27 CAPS 67 GOALS 1 Martins Pereira first broke through with Ligue 1 club Lyon before joining Young Boys in 2019, going on to win two Swiss Super League titles with the club. In January 2022 he joined Spartak Moscow on a loan deal before making the switch permanent in the summer. He won the Russian Cup with Spartak in May 2022. FLORIAN BOHNERT MIDFIELDER SC BASTIA (FRA) AGE 26 CAPS 45 GOALS 1 Bastia’s Bohnert boasts impressive versatility and is comfortable playing on either flank, either at full-back or on the wing. He joined Ligue 2 club Bastia on a free transfer in January 2023 and has quickly made himself a key part of the Bastia team. AGE 30 CAPS 36 GOALS 3 Sebastien is the brother of fellow Luxembourg internationals Olivier and Vincent Thill. All three were involved the last time Luxembourg played Northern Ireland, back in March 2022 when the boys in green and white won 3-1. When with Progres Niederkorn, Thill scored in a 2-1 aggregate win over Rangers in the Europa League qualifying round in July 2017. SEBASTIEN THILL MIDFIELDER STAL RZESZOW (POL)

LEANDRO BARREIRO MIDFIELDER SL BENFICA (POR)

SOFIANE IKENE MIDFIELDER 1 FC NURNBERG (GER)

AGE 24 CAPS 56 GOALS 2 Luxembourg’s star player was linked with the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest before he joined Benfica on a free transfer this summer after spending six years in the senior squad at Bundesliga club Mainz, where the defensive midfielder scored 11 goals in 151 appearances. FABIO LOHEI MIDFIELDER FC METZ (FRA) AGE 19 CAPS 2 GOALS 0 After training as a youngster with Differdange and Racing FC, Lohei moved to Metz’s academy in 2018 and stepped up to the club’s B team in 2022. He made his senior international debut against Hungary in November 2022 and has moved between the senior set-up and the U21s, featuring for the latter against England in March. TIMOTHE RUPIL MIDFIELDER FC SCHALKE 04 (GER) AGE 21 CAPS 10 GOALS 0 Rupil came through the ranks with Mainz 05 but left for Schalke this summer, and is currently playing for the German club’s B team. He made his international debut as a teenager in a 2-1 home loss to Liechtenstein in October 2020.

AGE 19 CAPS 2 GOALS 0 Ikene is another youngster for whom Luxembourg hold high hopes. He came through the ranks with F91 Dudelange but earned a move to German second tier side Nurnberg in 2023, having made his debut for the national team against the Faroe Islands in June 2022.

MATHIAS OLESEN MIDFIELDER 1 FC KOLN (GER)

AGE 23 CAPS 21 GOALS 1 Born in Denmark, Olesen moved to Luxembourg as a child. He began his career just across the German border in the academy of Eintracht Trier before joining FC Koln where he has made it through to the senior ranks. He also spent time on loan at Swiss club Yverdon Sport last season.

ERIC VEIGA MIDFIELDER AVS FUTEBOL (POR)

AGE 27 CAPS 5 GOALS 0 Veiga was on the books of Bayer Leverkusen as a

youngster before beginning his professional career with Eintracht Braunschweig in Germany. He played for Portugal at youth level but made his debut for Luxembourg in a friendly against Latvia in September 2016.

EDVIN MURATOVIC FORWARD ODRA OPOLE (POL)

GERSON RODRIGUES FORWARD GUANXI PINGGUO HALIAO (CHN) AGE 29 CAPS 62 GOALS 21 Portuguese-born Rodrigues, like a number of his team mates, came through the ranks with Metz in France. Luxembourg’s top scorer signed for Dynamo Kyiv in 2019 but the situation in Ukraine has seen him go on several loan moves since, and he is currently playing in China.

DANEL SINANI FORWARD FC ST PAULI (GER)

JAYSON VIDEIRA FORWARD HANNOVER 96 (GER)

AGE 27 CAPS 15 GOALS 1 Muratovic played for both Luxembourg and Montenegro as a youngster. When the time came to make a decision about who to represent at senior level he plumped for Luc Holtz’s side and made his debut against none other than Montenegro. Luxembourg won the game in October 2020 by two goals to one.

AGE 27 CAPS 63 GOALS 13 Serbian-born Sinani won two Luxembourg titles with Dudelange before moving to Norwich in 2020, spending three years with the Canaries in a spell that included time on loan with Huddersfield and Wigan. He was released by Norwich in the summer of 2023 and joined St Pauli.

AGE 19 CAPS 1 GOALS 0 Videira made his debut for Luxembourg this summer, coming on as a late substitute to replace Gerson Rodrigues in a 3-0 friendly defeat to Belgium. He joined Hannover’s youth set-up in 2021 and continues to progress through the ranks at the German club.

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FACT FILE: LUXEMBOURG

WORDS: IAN PARKER

• The Grand Duchy holds the record for the most World Cup and European campaigns without ever qualifying for a major tournament - having competed in every World Cup qualifying campaign since those for the 1934 tournament, and every European campaign since those for the 1964 finals. • During that first European qualifying campaign, Luxembourg shocked the Netherlands with a 3-2 aggregate win but later lost out to Denmark. • Although results have improved in recent years, up until 2008 Luxembourg had played 104 World Cup qualifiers and earned only eight points. • Their ranking from the Nations League earned them a place in the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs, however a 2-0 loss to Georgia ended their hopes at the semi-final stage. • Football federation boss Paul Philipp, who spent 15 years in charge of the national side, had said he would shave off his famous moustache - one he has worn for four decades - if Luxembourg had qualified for the Euros. Alas, it survived. • Among their notable recent results was a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over the Republic of Ireland in March 2021, with Gerson Rodrigues scoring the decisive goal. • Luxembourg were in League D when the Nations League was launched in 2018 but earned promotion in the inaugural edition and have remained in League C since, twice finishing second in their group. • The creation of a national academy in 2001 was the starting point for significant improvement in Luxembourg’s fortunes, and the country now has several players playing professionally abroad. • Luxembourg has a population of just 650,000. Around half are foreign-born, and the national team has been able to recruit a number of players from such backgrounds. For example, current players Gerson Rodrigues, Miguel Goncalves and Leandro Barriero all come from the sizeable Portuguese community.

INTERNATIONAL • This will be the sixth meeting between Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, with Northern Ireland winning three, drawing one and losing the other. • The first meeting between the two nations was a friendly in February 2000 when a young David Healy - then a reserve striker for Manchester United - made his international debut and scored twice in a 3-1 Northern Ireland win. • The two sides did not meet again until the World Cup qualifying campaign of 2012-13. • Northern Ireland enjoyed the better of their first meeting in Belfast in September 2012 and led through a fine goal from Dean Shiels, but Michael O’Neill’s side were denied victory because of a late own goal from Ryan McGivern - the first time in 10 competitive games that Luxembourg had avoided defeat. • Twelve months later Luxembourg won only their fourth ever World Cup qualifier, beating Northern Ireland 3-2 on home turf. Martin Paterson put Northern Ireland ahead and Gareth McAuley equalised after goals from Aurelien Joachim and Stefano Bensi, however Mathias Janisch’s goal three minutes from time secured a shock result. • There have been two friendlies since. Michael O’Neill was in charge of Northern Ireland when an experimental line-up won 1-0 in Belfast courtesy of an own goal from Kevin Malget in September 2019, while late goals from Steven Davis and Gavin Whyte earned Ian Baraclough’s side a 3-1 win in Luxembourg in March 2022. • Brothers Vincent and Oliver Thill, as well as Enes Mahmutovic, all featured for Luxembourg in that friendly in 2022, playing only weeks after abandoning club careers in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

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DOMESTIC

• Three players have earned more than 100 caps for Luxembourg, including the current right-back Laurent Jans, who reached a century in a 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Liechtenstein in November 2023 and now sits on 102. • Mario Mutsch earned 102 caps in a career which began in 2005 and ended in 2019, while Daniel da Mota earned his 101st and last cap against Scotland in 2021. • Gerson Rodrigues, 29, is the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 21 in 63 appearances, having overtaken the previous best of 16 set by Leon Mart in 24 caps either side of the Second World War. • Three Luxembourg players have picked up votes for the Ballon d’Or over the years. Louis Pilot earned one fourth-place vote in 1967 after helping Standard Liege to the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup. Robby Langers followed with a fifth-place vote in 1989 while playing for Nice. Guy Hellers was also on the shortlist two years later after reaching the last eight of the Cup Winners’ Cup, also with Standard.

• Luxembourg’s top flight, the BGL Ligue, was founded in 1910 and has gradually expanded over the years, growing to 16 teams for the 2020-21 campaign. • Differdange 03 are the reigning champions after taking their first title last term. The club was formed in 2003 following a merger of six-time champions FA Red Boys Differdange and AS Differdange. • Jeunesse Esch, based in the country’s second largest city of Esch-sur-Alzette, are the most successful team in the league’s history with 28 titles, however the last of them came in 2010, and they have not finished in the top two since 2013. • F91 Dudelange have emerged as the dominant force in recent seasons, winning the title 16 times since being formed in 1991 as a merger of Alliance Dudelange, Stade Dudelange and US Dudelange. They reached the group stages of the Europa League in 2019.

PHOTO : SPORTSPRESS.LU

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SCOUTING REPORT Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Luxembourg ahead of this evening’s Nations League game in Belfast. LOWDOWN A strong showing in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign saw Luxembourg climb to 84th in the FIFA World Rankings (July 2024) – two places short of their all-time high back in September 2018 and a far cry from their position of 195th in August 2006. Luxembourg finished third in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying group containing Portugal, Slovakia, Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Liechtenstein and progressed to the play-offs by virtue of their previous performances in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League when they were runners-up in Group C1. The Red Lions, as they are nicknamed, won five, drew two and lost just three of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches, which included a goalless draw in Slovakia and home (4-1) and away (2-0) triumphs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, while they took four points from a possible six against Iceland. Alas Luxembourg’s attempt to make it to a first major tournament finals was halted by Georgia in the play-offs.

TACTICS Luxembourg boss Luc Holtz often varies his tactical approach and regularly deviates between starting with three centre backs or adopting a back four. In their most recent match, a 3-0 friendly defeat to Belgium in Brussels on 8 June, Holtz’s side shaped up in a 5-4-1 formation. Gerson Rodrigues was employed as a loan frontman, while central midfielders Chris Philipps and Christopher Martins sat deep, giving wingers Danel Sinani and Mathias Olesen the licence to get forward and support Rodrigues in attacking situations. It is likely Luxembourg will adopt a similar tactical approach this evening as they look to soak up Northern Ireland pressure and hit the home team on the counter attack. STRENGTHS While they shipped 19 goals in UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying Group J, they conceded 15 of those goals in two matches against an ultra-attacking Portugal side. Other than that their almost-successful qualification campaign was built around a solid defence that kept four clean sheets in the group phase. Captain Laurent Jans, who plays at right back/ right wing back or occasionally as a centre back, is an experienced and calming influence in the Red Lions’ backline. He has won 102 senior international caps since 2012. At the other end of the pitch the lively Gerson Rodrigues is a constant threat and Luxembourg’s record goalscorer with 21 strikes in 63 appearances. POSSIBLE LINE-UP GK Anthony Moris LWB Mica Pinto CB Maxime Chanot CB Enes Mahmutovi CB Dirk Carlson RWB Laurent Jans LM Danel Sinani CM Christopher Martins Pereira CM Leandro Barreiro RM Mathias Olesen FW Gerson Rodrigues

PHOTO : SPORTSPRESS.LU

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