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September 3, 2010 7:15 PM BST
September 3, 2010 7:15 PM BST
Euro 2012 Qualifying Preview: Luxembourg – Bosnia-Herzegovina
The Dragons want to make sure their not slain by their opponents...
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By Robin Bairner
Massive Job
Luxembourg approach Friday night’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina aiming to replicate the kind of upset they caused in World Cup qualifying, when they defeated Switzerland 2-1 away from home to pick up a rare three points.
Moments of genuine footballing notability have been few in the history of the landlocked European state, so Alphonse Leweck’s late intervention against the Swiss to augment Jeff Strasser’s earlier effort is very much an effort to be savoured.
Having only been able to pick up draws against Moldova, the next weakest team in the group on paper, the unlikely success in Zurich propelled the Luxembourgers to the dizzying heights of fifth in their group, admittedly a whopping 11 points shy of fourth-placed Israel.
Simply avoiding bottom spot could be considered a major achievement for Luc Holtz’s side, who are ranked 127 in the world by FIFA. And that is once more the target as the European qualifying cycle rolls around, though with France, Romania, Belarus, Albania and weekend opponents Bosnia involved in their pool, it would be a massive achievement for the nation of around 500,000 to even get a handful of points, especially given the young nature of their side.
Going For The Top
Bosnia will renew their quest to travel to their first ever major finals tournament on Friday evening, when they open their campaign with a very winnable fixture against Luxembourg.
The weekend’s match will be a particularly memorable one for one young star, for whom the qualifying campaign has thrown up a couple of fateful fixtures. Miralem Pjanic’s family fled the country of his birth when he was just a toddler, leaving for Luxembourg, where he grew up and represented the nation at youth level. Clearly a talented footballer, playmaker Pjanic moved to Metz, just over the border in France to refine his trade, and presently he turns out in Ligue 1 for Olympique Lyonnais.
Fondness for his adopted countries will be cast aside by the 20-year-old when he crosses the white line at the Stade Josy Barthel and then once again next Tuesday, when France meet Bosnia in Sarajevo.
Only a play-off defeat at the hands of Portugal prevented Bosnia from strutting their stuff in South Africa during the summer, and with a number of highly talented young individuals starting to filter through their ranks there can be little doubt that it’s only a matter of time before the nation makes a significant impact on the international stage.
Luxembourg should provide the warm-up for Safet Susic’s side before they tackle France in midweek, which is a fixture they will certainly be aiming to spring a surprise in given the unsettled nature of les Bleus’ summer.
Luxembourg approach Friday night’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina aiming to replicate the kind of upset they caused in World Cup qualifying, when they defeated Switzerland 2-1 away from home to pick up a rare three points.
Moments of genuine footballing notability have been few in the history of the landlocked European state, so Alphonse Leweck’s late intervention against the Swiss to augment Jeff Strasser’s earlier effort is very much an effort to be savoured.
Having only been able to pick up draws against Moldova, the next weakest team in the group on paper, the unlikely success in Zurich propelled the Luxembourgers to the dizzying heights of fifth in their group, admittedly a whopping 11 points shy of fourth-placed Israel.
Simply avoiding bottom spot could be considered a major achievement for Luc Holtz’s side, who are ranked 127 in the world by FIFA. And that is once more the target as the European qualifying cycle rolls around, though with France, Romania, Belarus, Albania and weekend opponents Bosnia involved in their pool, it would be a massive achievement for the nation of around 500,000 to even get a handful of points, especially given the young nature of their side.
Going For The Top
Bosnia will renew their quest to travel to their first ever major finals tournament on Friday evening, when they open their campaign with a very winnable fixture against Luxembourg.
The weekend’s match will be a particularly memorable one for one young star, for whom the qualifying campaign has thrown up a couple of fateful fixtures. Miralem Pjanic’s family fled the country of his birth when he was just a toddler, leaving for Luxembourg, where he grew up and represented the nation at youth level. Clearly a talented footballer, playmaker Pjanic moved to Metz, just over the border in France to refine his trade, and presently he turns out in Ligue 1 for Olympique Lyonnais.
Fondness for his adopted countries will be cast aside by the 20-year-old when he crosses the white line at the Stade Josy Barthel and then once again next Tuesday, when France meet Bosnia in Sarajevo.
Only a play-off defeat at the hands of Portugal prevented Bosnia from strutting their stuff in South Africa during the summer, and with a number of highly talented young individuals starting to filter through their ranks there can be little doubt that it’s only a matter of time before the nation makes a significant impact on the international stage.
Luxembourg should provide the warm-up for Safet Susic’s side before they tackle France in midweek, which is a fixture they will certainly be aiming to spring a surprise in given the unsettled nature of les Bleus’ summer.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Luxembourg 0-3 Bosnia
- 23.98 %
-
Luxembourg 0-2 Bosnia
- 20.41 %
-
Luxembourg 0-4 Bosnia
- 14.8 %
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Oct 7, 2011 | Bosnia 5 - Luxembourg 0 |
|
| Euro 2012 (EC) | Sep 3, 2010 | Luxembourg 0 - Bosnia 3 |
|
Luxembourg
   |
||
| Nov 15, 2011 | Luxembourg 0 - Switzerland 1 | FR |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Bosnia 5 - Luxembourg 0 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Luxembourg 2 - Albania 1 | EC |
| Sep 2, 2011 | Luxembourg 0 - Romania 2 | EC |
| Aug 10, 2011 | Portugal 5 - Luxembourg 0 | FR |
Bosnia
  |
||
| Nov 15, 2011 | Portugal 6 - Bosnia 2 | EC |
| Nov 11, 2011 | Bosnia 0 - Portugal 0 | EC |
| Oct 11, 2011 | France 1 - Bosnia 1 | EC |
| Oct 7, 2011 | Bosnia 5 - Luxembourg 0 | EC |
| Sep 6, 2011 | Bosnia 1 - Belarus 0 | EC |
|
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Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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