On Thursday, national coach Luc Holtz announced the 24-man squad for Luxembourg's upcoming play-offs in the Nations League, as the Red Lions bid for European qualification.

On Thursday 21 March, Luxembourg's men's football team will head to Tbilisi to face Georgia in the first of their play-off matches. The winner will then face either Greece or Kazakhstan on 26 March. Should Luxembourg emerge victorious, they will participate in a European football championship for the first time in their history, qualifying for this summer's tournament in Germany.

Next week, however, Luxembourg will be missing a number of players due to injury, including Vincent Thill, Dirk Carlson and Timothé Rupil, although Vahid Selimovic will make a return to the team.

"I know the value of this match is much larger and requires a different approach to the past," Holtz said on Thursday. "It's my task to slow things down a bit. I've told the squad that from Sunday, things have to be calm. This is the most important thing to me. I'm 100% convinced that if we can bring our performance to the pitch, without emotions, stress or negativity, then we have a good chance to qualify for the final. I'm convinced that cultivating a sense of calm within the team is the most important thing."

Around 55,000 spectators are expected to attend the match in Georgia, including around 300 Luxembourg fans making the journey to Tbilisi.

RTL

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