Luxembourgish teams face uphill battle in Europe

FC Differdange will return to their fortress for the second leg of their clash against Kosovar counterparts Drita in the UEFA Champions League. It has been over two years since the reigning Luxembourgish champions and cup winners were last beaten at home.
 
In the first game, a lot of the early-season errors were visible. New signings are still in the process of being integrated into the first team, and manager Pedro Silva has seemingly found no way through a stubborn Drita defence, relying on moments of individual brilliance that were few and far between.
 
Guillaume Trani’s loss will feel particularly painful for everyone at the club. The playmaker excelled in the very situations FCD now find toughest to carry out – moments of transition, when a striker’s run has to be met with a perfectly weighted pass, with flawless timing and precision.
 
Trani’s two deputies in Kosovo, Artur Abreu and Rafa Pinto, covered a lot of ground and engaged in a host of duels against physically stronger opposition, but clearly lacked the incisiveness and technique of the silky Frenchman, who departed in the summer for the professional world.
 
Behind the duo, Differdange’s midfield pivot – comprised of debutants Luis Jakobi and Bruninho – did an altogether fine job, especially in the second half. Regardless, the timely return of Leandro (hailed by many as the best player in the country) will boost the team’s chances of restricting opposition chances, with the Brazilian’s leadership and energy key to any future ambitions the team have.
 
Playing at home will certainly offer extra encouragement for the players, as Differdange steadily host the highest stadium turnouts of the BGL Ligue week in, week out. A full capacity at the Stade Municipal is to be expected once again. It has to be said that Drita notoriously strong side away from home, so the threat they pose will not necessarily be stifled, but FCD can profit mightily from strong fan support.
 
The first leg was an open game, dominated entirely by the hosts until half-time, when substitutions started breathing some life into a rather dull and predictable Differdange attack. The only goal of the game was a tap-in after a lapse of concentration allowed a through ball to inch between Kevin d’Anzico’s legs, with goalkeeper Felipe also helpless.
 
The most impressive attacking performer in Differdange’s ranks was undoubtedly Boris Mfoumou, whose bursts of pace and unorthodox dribbling and positioning style caused havoc within Drita’s defensive setup.
 
Whether the young Cameroon international gets the nod this time mostly depends on his fitness levels, as he is yet to fully get to grips with the rest of the team in pre-season preparation. Even if he is deemed fit, he might be limited to an appearance off the bench, to maximise his trickery and pace against a tiring backline.
 
Differdange are considered slight favourites on Tuesday evening at their home ground, but in case of a one-goal victory after the 90 minutes, the game will proceed to extra time, and potentially penalties, making it a tricky way back from FCD’s 1-0 deficit.

F91 need to produce complete turnaround

The most disappointing performance of last week was unquestionably that of F91 Dudelange, who conceded two early goals at Stade Jos Nosbaum to limp to a gruesome 2-0 loss to Atlétic Escaldes, having beaten the same opponents 3-0 on aggregate this time last year.
 
The scoreline was always going to be less one-sided this time around, as the Andorrans took some strides to improve since their league turned professional in recent years, while F91 seem to have spent all of their reserves from their back-to-back heroic European group-stage appearances at the dawn of the decade.
 
Dudelange’s well-documented squad planning issues were exacerbated by the fitness concerns of some players, eventually resulting in a line-up without a designated striker last Thursday, as false-nine Evan Rotundo and traditional winger Agostinho rotated between leading the line.
 
The result was clearly unconvincing, but manager Mika Pinto had such a shortage of options at his disposal he refused to make personnel changes until the final stages of the game. As the bench was largely filled up with youngsters with limited or absolutely no senior experience, his only attacking options were Bilal Benkhedim and fringe player Oscar Ekeberg, who did not produce any miracles in their short cameos.
 
Despite F91 entering this tie as the seeded team and having been projected to see this tie out before heading into the next round with a strengthened roster, the odds are stacked against the Grand Duchy’s most decorated team of the century.
 
Playing at home might spur the players on to avoid a second consecutive embarrassment, and new arrival Dinho can help offset the attacking burden. Either way, Pinto’s team need marked improvement to make progress now.
 
Dudelange’s squad still has some quality players, and some of the old stalwarts, like flying wing-backs Mehdi Kirch and Denis Stumpf. The rest of the institution, however, is undeniably crumbling, and every penny gained in Europe can be absolutely essential for the club’s future.
 
The last time a Luxembourgish club lost a continental tie from such a perceived advantage was Fola Esch, who suffered home-and-away defeats to Sammarinese amateurs Tre Fiori, kickstarting the demise of the country’s oldest club, culminating in a relegation from the top-flight this May.
 
F91 are not quite at the same lows yet, but some of the warning signs are alarmingly similar. Any more stumbles and the unrest and confusion in and around the club will only grow, putting the once-envied club in an onerous position.

Racing Union need to endure – and prevail

If F91’s shocking defeat in Andorra felt like the lowest of lows, and FCD’s tight defeat still offers reasons for optimism regarding the outcome of the tie, then Racing FCUL’s 1-2 loss to Georgia’s Dila Gori could be positioned roughly in the middle.
 
While the performance was impressive and Racing’s game specifically eye-catching at times, they eventually cracked under pressure from the professional side, whose substitutions brought the sort of renewed energy into their attacks the Sky Blues could just not cope with.
 
Manager Yannick Kakoko fielded a brave 4-2-4 formation at the Stade Achille Hammerel, with talisman and big-name signing Dominik Stolz alternating between leading the high press and dropping back into the pockets in front of the opponents’ backline. The man-oriented pressing schemes worked surprisingly successfully at times, as the Luxembourgers matched their opponents in intensity and strength for the entire first half.
 
Defensive heroics were required after the interval to keep the team from falling behind, with right-back Ismaël Sow and centre-half Joakim Kada standing out as two of the evening’s top performers. Both dealt with danger admirably and frequently covered for less assured colleagues at the back – most notably Carmel Mabanza, who endured a torrid debut playing out of position.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 52nd minute when Dominik Stolz found the net from close range following a scrappy passage of play after a chaotic throw-in routine. Sadly for the merger side, that proved to be their only moment of joy on the night, as Aleko Andronikashvili drew level just eight minutes later.

The final half-hour left Racing’s supporters somewhat disheartened. The team’s high-octane, all-action pressing approach can only be sustained for so long against opponents already in the thick of their domestic campaign, with superior preparation. A series of chances ultimately culminated in a Georgian winner, when Cyril Edudzi struck in the 78th minute.

Remarkably, Racing managed to avoid further damage and kept the deficit to a single goal, ensuring the tie remains finely poised. However, the Luxembourgers now face the daunting prospect of a near-4,000-kilometre journey to the picturesque town of Gori, where they must overturn the result to keep their hopes alive.

An impressive display with some encouraging details, but only a minimal chance of progressing for the club of the City.
 
Schedule (aggregate score in brackets):

Tuesday, 15 July: FC Differdange (0 vs 1) Drita, 20:00 (Stade Municipal)
Thursday, 17 July: Dila Gori (2 vs 1) Racing Luxembourg, 18:00 (Gori, Georgia)
F91 Dudelange (0 vs 2) Atlétic Escaldes, 19:00 (Stade Jos Nosbaum)