Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland Predictions

• Luxembourg are looking for their second win in eight games against Northern Ireland
• Eight of Luxembourg’s last ten games have featured fewer than three goals
• Northern Ireland have won just one of their last 12 away internationals

Luxembourg capable of holding their own

There presence of Germany in their section will leave Luxembourg and Northern Ireland thinking they need to gain a victory in Thursday’s opening Group A clash if they are to book a place at next summer’s World Cup, but it may not be as simple as that.

These two played out a 2-2 draw in the Nations League in November, when Michael O’Neill’s team squandered a two-goal lead, but this match promises to be a lot tighter than that meeting.

Sweden have recently discovered that a trip to Luxembourg cannot be taken lightly – they were beaten 1-0 in a friendly – and the team from the Grand Duchy are no longer the whipping boys of European international football.

They keep things tight and could prove hard to break down.

Visitors’ away record is a concern

Northern Ireland should have a spring in their step after beating Iceland 1-0 in their most recent friendly, but there is a big difference between the results O’Neill’s team post in Belfast and what they claim on their travels.

One victory in their last 12 on the road is a sorry statistic, and it is enough to merit an interest in the home side in this one, although as the match is unlikely to produce many goals, it could be sensible to back the underdogs in the draw-no-bet market, with a 1-0 Luxembourg win the preferred correct-score selection.