[Sélection nationale] Veiga is here, the surprises of Anzico and Andrade too

Nearly three years after his last selection, Eric Veiga is back in the national team, which includes defender Kevin D’Anzico from Differdange and, much more surprisingly, young Christophe Andrade from Dudelange (17 years old).

Confined to the U19s of F91, with whom he won the Prince’s Cup last May, Christophe Andrade could experience his debut in the national team before even playing his first match in the BGL League. Never having appeared in the elite, the defender from Dudelange is the big surprise of the list unveiled this Thursday by Luc Holtz for the Nations League matches scheduled for September.

Veiga, a timely return and replacement

To face Northern Ireland (Thursday 5 September) in Belfast and then Belarus (Sunday 8) at the Stade de Luxembourg, the Luxembourg coach has also called on another rookie, the Differdange central defender Kevin D’Anzico (24 years old), and recalled Eric Veiga, who has fully recovered from his second rupture of the cruciate ligaments in his knee.

Not having appeared in the national jersey since October 2021, the left-back has played three Portuguese D1 matches with his club AVS Futebol, promoted to this level. The last one as a starter, Sunday against Guimaraes, in a winger role that could give ideas to Luc Holtz, still deprived in the attacking corridors of Yvandro Borges and Vincent Thill, both seriously injured in the knee at the start of the year.

Without Korac, Marvin Martins, Philipps or Olivier Thill

The other notable absentees are Marvin Martins, who withdrew in the morning, Chris Philipps (Wiltz), who returned to favour in June but who was replaced by Timothé Rupil who has made a good comeback with the Schalke 04 reserves, and Olivier Thill, a starter at Cherkasy but a victim, according to the coach, of competition in his sector of play.

While he is fit, Seid Korac was also not selected by Luc Holtz, despite the suspension of Maxime Chanot in Northern Ireland (where Danel Sinani will also be suspended). Not a particularly good sign for the Vojvodina central defender, whose relationship with the Roud Léiwen, whom he did not frequent between November 2020 and September 2023, is decidedly tumultuous.

Christophe who?

Christophe Andrade joined the Red Lions before even having played in the BGL Ligue.

Although he praises his discretion, his “hardworking” side, his technical accuracy, his “good tactical understanding” and the quality of his right foot, Marco Martino, the F91 coach, is nonetheless very surprised, like everyone else in the Grand Duchy, by the call-up to the Roud Léiwen of Christophe Andrade, 17 years old and no public appearance. Except for May 15, during a forgettable Prince’s Cup final (won by F91 against Differdange, 0-0, 5-4 on penalties) during which he did not shine.

This call-up raises two questions, depending on which side you look at: how can a player who doesn’t have a single senior bench be called up for selection? And how can a player called up to the national team not play in the BGL League? To the first, it was Luc Holtz, put on the trail of the Dudelange player by Mario Mutsch, who answered, Thursday at a press conference. “We’ve been talking about the kid for weeks,” rewinded the coach, who therefore attended a few training sessions of the national U19s. “He has a lot of talent, great potential. He still needs to gain experience but football-wise, he has the fluidity, the technical precision, the tactical intelligence,” he said about this boy with a “dynamic” profile, endowed with “a certain quality of speed.”

At the CFN all week, he can’t train at F91

His immense versatility is one of Andrade’s other assets, trained in the wings but rather used in axial positions with the U19s of Dudelange this season. Positioned as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 during the final of the Prince’s Cup, the one who is listed as a defender in Luc Holtz’s list “played in all positions except striker“, during the few friendly matches of the first team in which he took part this summer. And where “he made a very good impressionto Martino.

So why hasn’t he played an official match yet? That’s the answer to the second question asked above: up until the U19s, young Luxembourg internationals train four times a week at the CFN, and therefore only have at best one session within their club to earn their place in the 18… to the detriment of players who have the whole week to prepare for BGL Ligue matches and convince their coach. In Dudelange, said session falls on Saturday morning… the same day as the club’s U19 matches. Training or playing, you have to choose… but his unexpected stay with the Roud Léiwen could well have an impact on Christophe Andrade’s future status at F91.

Goalkeepers: Anthony Moris (Union SG/Bel), Ralph Schon (Wiltz), Tiago Pereira (Mönchengladbach/All)

Defenders: Laurent Jans (Beveren/Bel), Florian Bohnert (Bastia/Fra), Eldin Dzogovic (Magdebourg/All), Enes Mahmutovic (NAC Breda/PBs), Maxime Chanot (Los Angeles FC/USA), Lars Gerson (Kongsvinger/ Nor), Kevin D’Anzico (Differdange) Dirk Carlson (St. Pölten/Aut), Mica Pinto (sans club), Eric Veiga (AVS Futebol/Por), Fabio Lohei (Metz/Fra), Christophe Andrade (F91)

Midfielders: Christopher Martins (Spartak Moscow/Rus), Leandro Barreiro (Benfica/Por), Mathias Olesen (Cologne/All), Sébastien Thill (Stal Rzeszow/Pol), Timothé Rupil (Schalke 04/All), Sofiane Ikene (Nuremberg/ All)

Forwards : Gerson Rodrigues (Guangxi Pingguo Haliao/Chi), Danel Sinani (St. Pauli/All), Edvin Muratovic (Odra Opole/Pol), Jayson Videira (Hanover/All)