© Serge Olmo / RTL
Luxembourg's international men's football team face Iceland in Reykjavik on Friday, followed by Slovakia on Monday, with a place at Euro 2024 on the line.
The Red Lions are currently in third place in Group J with six of ten matches played, but could overtake Slovakia if they can win both fixtures this week. However, with injuries plaguing the squad in recent weeks, qualification may well be an uphill battle for manager Luc Holtz.
Although Mathias Olesen is returning from injury this week, Florian Bohnert will not be playing due to a long-term injury.
Captain Laurent Jans has missed the last two games for his club due to injury, but is hopeful he will make it back on Friday:
"First and foremost I don't want to take any risks at all. There is no sense in suffering a tear, or anything worse, as that would be counterproductive for all. However, if I feel good enough and can participate in training, then there shouldn't be anything preventing me from playing tomorrow."
Yvandro Borges has been ruled out of Friday's clash with a thigh injury and has not travelled to Iceland with the rest of the squad. Currently in Mönchengladbach, it is not yet known whether the striker will be fit for Monday's game against Slovakia.
As a result, Gerson Rodrigues and Oli Thill have both received international call-ups after their internal exclusion from the squad in previous fixtures. Rodrigues' return in particular is important, given Borges' absence, Holtz said, but fitness is also a concern on the national coach's mind.
"Gerson hasn't played for a month. Mathias Olesen has barely played, he managed a few minutes at the weekend. These players definitely won't play the full 90 minutes for both matches, I've already conveyed this to the boys. I try to make as few mistakes as possible, but errors are human nature. Just as the players sometimes make mistakes on the pitch, I sometimes make mistakes with my choices."
Iceland are likely to be on the hunt for revenge after their previous loss to Luxembourg, and it will also be their last chance to fight for second place in the group.
Luxembourg's Marvin Martins, Lars Gerson, Laurent Jans, Enes Mahmutovic and Vincent Thill are all one yellow card away from suspension if they are penalised in the upcoming matches.
