Bohemians travel to Luxembourg for the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie against F91 Dudelange. The Gypsies will be hoping to get a positive result ahead of the return leg which has been confirmed for the A
Bohemians travel to Luxembourg for the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie against F91 Dudelange.
The Gypsies will be hoping to get a positive result ahead of the return leg which has been confirmed for the Aviva Stadium next week. Keith Long’s charges will have their full attention on 2,558 capacity Stade Jos Nosbaum this Thursday as they hope to tip the tie in their favour before the showdown in Dublin.
The winners of the round will face Greek side PAOK and Bohs will be hoping their European love affair at the Aviva continues long into the summer.
The match kicks-off at 5.45pm and a stream is not confirmed at time of publication.
Overview
UEFA Conference League – Second Qualifying Round
22/07 - First Leg – F91 Dudelange v Bohemians, KO 17:45 (stream TBC)
29/07 – Second Leg – Bohemians v F91 Dudelange, KO 19:45 (Live on LOITV - TBC)
F91 Dudelange are a club that was founded in 1991, making them 100 years younger than their Irish opposition. Despite their short history, Dudelange have an impressive 15 Luxembourg National Divisions and eight Cup’s in their trophy cabinet.
In 2019/20, the Dudelange became the first side from Luxembourg to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stages and they will be hoping for another year of European success in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
Current form and Statistics
Dudelange come into the tie ahead of the resumption of their domestic campaign next month. The sides last friendly was a 3-0 defeat to French Ligue 2 side Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard on June 25th. Last term the Luxembourg side finished second in the league, missing out on the title by two points to Fola Esch.
Bohemians will be buoyed by the 3-0 victory over Stjarnan with striker Georgie Kelly and youngster Dawson Devoy both impressive throughout the season to date. The Gypsies made several changes for a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Longford Town at Dalymount Park on Sunday, with 16 year-old Jamie Mullins scoring on his full debut for the hosts.
Attack
Dudelange netted 70 goals in 30 games last campaign, an average of 2.33 per game. They also featured more shots on target (13.71) and counterattacks with shots (3.75) than their opposition last term.
Midfield
In the middle of the park, Dudelange have controlled games domestically with an average of 55% possession. They notched up an average of 496 passes per game which was over 100 greater than their opposition. Passes tend not to go astray with an 83.85 pass completion rate meaning the Gypsies will hope to take control of the tempo on Thursday.
Defence
Dudelange conceded under one goal per game in the 2020/2021 National Division and limited opposition to an average of 9.42 shots on target per game. The Luxembourg side did concede 19.08 fouls per game and Bohemians will be aiming to make use of set-pieces should this trend be a feature on Thursday.
European Record
Dudelange have qualified for European competition 23 times prior to this campaign, facing Irish opposition once in 2015/2016. That year saw Thursday’s hosts eliminated on away goals by a UCD side which included former Bohs man Dylan Watts and other league stars Robbie Benson (St. Patrick’s Athletic) and Gary O’Neill (Shamrock Rovers).
Dudelange made history in 2018/19 by becoming the first team from Luxembourg to advance to the Europa League group stages, a feat they repeated a year later too. The 2018/2019 run included victories over Legia Warsaw and CFR Cluj and they were rewarded with a group including AC Milan, Olympiakos and Real Betis. 2019/2020 they advanced to Europa League group A alongside Seville, APOEL and Qarabağ. They claimed their first victory at that stage with a stunning 4-3 win over Cypriot side APOEL 4-3.
Key Player: Adel Bettaieb – Forward
The 24-year old pacey Tunisian had a fantastic campaign and is hoping to start this season in similar form. Bettaieb contributed 17 goals and three assists for Dudelange as they finished second in the table. Prior to joining Dudelange, Bettaieb came through the ranks at French side Anger SCO II. Last season was his breakthrough year as he topped the clubs scoring charts.
Manager: Carlos Fangueiro
Following a successful playing career which included a brief spell at Millwall (2005/2006) and Wasall (2006/2007), Fangueiro is heading into his second campaign as Dudelange Manager. Prior to his appointment, the Portuguese Manager was in charge at UT Pétange and Atert Bissen both in Luxembourg.
During Fangueiro’s year at Walsall he shared a dressing room with now Republic of Ireland U21 Goalkeeping Coach Rene Gilmartin.
