FC Etzella Ettelbruck

RTL Today has for some reason decided to assign the new intern (me) the task of outlining the accomplishments of every club playing in Luxembourg's top football league. It is a journey that will take us through 16 clubs and to every corner of this little country.

Today we visit northern Luxembourg to cover a team fighting for their survival in FC Etzella Ettelbruck.

History

Etzella Ettelbruck have existed largely unchanged for over a century, having been founded in 1917 and not going through any mergers, which have shaped the histories of many other teams in Luxembourg. However, the club's name was changed briefly during German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II, when it became known as FV Ettelbrück. The original name was restored in 1944, which has been kept since.

The club were promoted to the National Division for the first time in 1971, and had a first spell in the league that lasted 10 seasons before relegation in 1981. A pair of returns in the 1983-84 and 1992-93 seasons both resulted in immediate relegation.

Etzella's next season in the top tier was a huge success, as they surprisingly finished 4th as a promoted side in 2001 and qualified for European competition for the first time by winning the Coupe du Luxembourg final against Wiltz 71. Their fall was as sharp as their rise, however, as 2001-02 brought relegation in last place and a swift elimination in the UEFA Cup.

The club were able to secure an immediate return to the National Division the next season, where they turned the successes of 2001 into a consistent level of performance. Etzella finished in the top four for five seasons in a row, qualifying for European competition each time and recording club-best 2nd-place finishes in 2005 and 2007.

This successful spell eventually tapered off, as the club have been relegated two further times in 2011 and 2016 and have not finished higher than 6th in the top tier since 2008. Etzella struggled last season, finishing second from bottom and only avoiding the drop due to the Covid-induced relegation moratorium.

Accomplishments

Etzella have just their Coupe du Luxembourg triumph in 2001 as far as top-level titles go, but they have also finished as champions in the second-tier Division of Honour in 2000, 2003, and 2018. They have been cup finalists on three other occasions and National Division runners-up twice.

The club have qualified for European competition seven times in total, with all but one of their campaigns ending at the first hurdle. They were able to defeat Georgian side Locomotive Tbilisi on away goals in the first round of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup, but were blasted by Russian outfit Saturn Ramenskoye 8-1 on aggregate in the second round.

Stadium

Etzella play at the Stade am Deich, which houses 2,020 spectators. The stadium has a stand on one side and bleachers on two sides, with an athletics track providing separation between the crowd and the pitch.

This Season

This season's campaign has been another challenging one for Etzella, but they have a slight leg up on other teams in avoiding the relegation playoffs. The club currently sit in 10th, but are just two points ahead of the first playoff place.

The club's form has been consistently inconsistent the whole year, as they have gone on numerous winning and losing streaks and have just drawn their first league match after going 27 games without one.

The stars of the team are Brazilian attacking midfielder Gustavo and German striker Fatjon Celani, who have a combined 22 goals. Gustavo's 12 league goals are enough to put him in a tie for 7th in the league's scoring charts. Young French striker Téo Herr has come on strong in the later stages of the season to bring his total up to 8 goals, and experienced German attacking midfielder Markus Einsiedler has made a solid contribution with 6 goals.

While Etzella have certainly had some poor results this season, such as a 6-1 defeat to F91 Dudelange and a 6-0 thrashing by Progrès Niederkorn, they have performed well enough to give themselves a good chance of survival either through holding their place in the table or at worst by getting through the relegation playoffs.

The club will surely prefer the former, so the time is now to put together a good run of form to end the season and put away any doubts surrounding their National Division status.

For more information, visit the club's website.