Luxembourg’s women’s national football team will face Belgium in two World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for Wednesday, 5 June in Leuven and Sunday, 9 June in Esch-sur-Alzette. The squad for these fixtures was officially presented on Friday morning at the headquarters of the Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF) by coaches Cristina Correia and Daniel Zirbes.
Compared to April’s double-header against Israel, there are significant changes to the selection. Ten players from the previous squad have not been included this time. However, the replacements are all familiar faces, having been called up to the FLF squad in the past.
One notable return is captain Laura Miller, who had initially missed out on April’s call-up due to injury but was able to participate in the second match after making a recovery.
Amy Thompson returns from injury
Another key addition is Amy Thompson, Luxembourg’s all-time most prolific international goalscorer. Thompson returns to the squad after an injury layoff, having previously announced that she would retire from international football at the end of this qualifying campaign.
Also returning from injury are Andreia Machado and Rita Leita, while Edina Kocan rejoins the team after missing the last matches for professional reasons.
Several absences for Belgium fixtures
The team will be without several players for the Belgium encounters. Some, such as Amal Cherkane, are unavailable due to academic exams. Leila Schmit misses out for personal reasons, and Rachel Kirps remains with her club Elversberg for the time being. Forward Caroline Jorge, who also missed the recent fixtures against Scotland and Israel, continues to be absent.
Luxembourg go into these games after losing their first four matches in the current qualifying campaign. The upcoming ties against neighbours Belgium are expected to be challenging.
The Belgian Red Flames are the top-ranked side in the group according to FIFA and, going into the final two matches of qualification, are level on points with Scotland in second place. Belgium are not only looking to win both matches against Luxembourg, but will also aim to do so by a significant margin.
Full list of players called-up for Belgium matches