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The Luxembourg national football team is set to host Italy at the Stade de Luxembourg in an international friendly match tonight.

The kick-off for the Luxembourg vs Italy fixture is scheduled for 01:45 AM IST on Thursday, 4 June 2026.

The Azzurri squad for this match is primarily made up of their Under-21 players.

Luxembourg did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which was largely expected given their current world ranking of 98th and a population of around 700,000.

Their most recent competitive games came in the UEFA Nations League qualifiers against Malta.

Luxembourg secured an emphatic 5-0 aggregate victory against Malta, winning 3-0 at home and 2-0 away.

After the clash with Italy, the Red Lions will take on Albania in another friendly fixture on 6 June.

Meanwhile, Italy disappointed their supporters by failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, marking the third consecutive tournament in which the four-time champions will not participate.

The Azzurri were eliminated in the UEFA play-off final against Bosnia & Herzegovina, drawing 1-1 in regulation time before losing on penalties.

Following that defeat, head coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned, and Under-21 manager Silvio Baldini was appointed as interim coach.

In a bold move, Baldini has selected a youthful 24-player squad for these friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece (scheduled for 7 June).

Most of the squad consists of Under-21 players, with only four having previous senior team experience.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marco Palestra, Niccolo Pisilli, and Francesco Pio Esposito are the only players retained from the previous senior squad.

The decision has drawn mixed reactions, with critics calling it drastic. However, Baldini aims to provide young players with valuable experience at the senior international level, hoping more youth will be integrated once a permanent coach is appointed.

Head-to-Head and Statistics: Luxembourg vs Italy

Luxembourg and Italy have met nine times previously, with the Azzurri dominating the record — eight wins and one draw.

Their last encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in 2014, when Claudio Marchisio scored for Italy before Maxime Chanot equalised late in the game.

According to the latest FIFA World Rankings, Italy sit in 12th place, while Luxembourg are ranked 98th globally.

Match Prediction: Luxembourg vs Italy

Luxembourg will treat this friendly as preparation for the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign that begins in September.

For Italy, this match also serves as a build-up to the same competition, though the youthful lineup represents more of an experimental phase than a definitive squad for the tournament.

Given the inexperience of Italy’s side but considering their overall quality and presence of a few senior players, a narrow victory for the Azzurri is anticipated.

Predicted Score: Luxembourg 1-2 Italy