Northern Ireland to face Luxembourg in September friendly

Northern Ireland will prepare for their Euro 2020 qualifier against Germany on 9 September by playing Luxembourg in a friendly in Belfast four days earlier.

Like Northern Ireland, Luxembourg have been drawn in a five-team group in the Euro qualifiers.

The game against Germany will be Northern Ireland's fifth of eight games in 2019 in Euro qualifying Group C.

Michael O'Neill's men will play Estonia and Belarus both home and away before taking on the Germans.

Luxembourg have been drawn in in Group B, along with Portugal, Ukraine, Serbia and Lithuania.

Unlike Northern Ireland, Luxembourg managed to get points on the board in the recent Uefa Nations League, although they were operating in League D, the fourth tier, while Michael O'Neill's side were in League B.

In their six games in Group 2 Luc Holtz's side registered a 4-0 home win against Moldova, defeated San Marino 3-0 home and away, managed a 1-1 draw in Moldova and lost narrowly twice to group winners Belarus.

Luxembourg famously held eventual World Cup winners France to a 0-0 draw in Toulouse in September 2017.

A couple of months later they achieved a fine win over Hungary in a friendly.

Their captain, Laurent Jans, plays for Metz in France, while fellow defender Christopher Martins is a regular for Troyes in France.

Also operating in their back-line these days is Maxine Chanot of MLS outfit New York City.

Their main goal threat comes from Aurelien Joachim, who plays in the Belgian second division with Virton.

The night after the Northern Ireland v Luxembourg game in Belfast, Germany and Netherlands, will be squaring up to each other in Group C in Germany.

Northern Ireland's last three games in the group will see them play the Dutch away on Thursday 10 October and at home on Saturday 16 November, plus Germany away on Tuesday 19 November.

Northern Ireland will also have another friendly in mid-October, with the opposition, date and venue yet to be finalised.