Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Third place in Group A will be at stake when Luxembourg and Ireland face each other at Stade Josy Barthel on Sunday evening. Luxembourg did well to beat Azerbaijan in their last group game, and, no doubt, they are high on spirits ahead of the visit of Ireland. As always, a man to watch in the home team will be Gerson Rodrigues, who scored a brace at Azerbaijan, while Sheriff Tiraspol midfielder Sebastien Thill should be recalled to the starting XI.
The Boys in Green, on the other hand, did well to hold Portugal to a goalless draw in their last group match. Anyhow, both teams to score betting option should be considered as both sides will go for a win in Sunday’s showdown. Both James McClean and Adam Idah are pushing for a start for the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Dave Turpel):
Born in Luxembourg on October 19, 1992, David Turpel is a striker who plays for F91 Dudelange. Over the years Turpel has established himself as a one of the best attackers in Luxembourg and he is likely to play an important role in Dino Toppmoller’s team in the 2018/2019 Europa League campaign.
David Turpel represents Luxembourg on the international stage and it has to be noted that he scored his first goal for the national team in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Turpel found the net against Macedonia, but that did not help Luxembourg avoid defeat in Skopje. He scored his second goal for the Luxemborurg national team in a friendly against Albania in June, 2017.
Luxembourg eventually won the match 2-1. His preferred foot is right, whilst his main position is centre-forward. The 188cm-tall striker has 10 caps for Luxembourg U21 team, scoring one goal in the process.
Highlighted Team (Ireland):
Competing as an independent entity since 1953, Republic of Ireland have struggled to match the world’s best national teams ever since, although they did achieve several respectable results on the road. Their best ever result, the 1990 World Cup quarter-final, was achieved with a big smile from Lady Luck seeing that the Irish reached the last eight without winning a single match.
They have since reached the last 16 stage at the 1994 and 2002 tournaments, while only qualifying for three European Championship finals (1988, 2012, 2016). The Irish were in the top 10 of the FIFA Rankings in 1993 and 1994, but have failed to repeat the success in the next twenty odd years, and it appears they are no closer to bridging the gap behind European powerhouses.
Robbie Keane holds the record for most national team caps and goals at the same time, having bagged 67 in 143 appearances, whereas Niall Quinn, Steve Staunton, Damien Duff, Tony Cascarino and Don Givens are some of the other star players.