Euro Qualifiers: Georgia vs Luxembourg Betting Odds
Both Sides Looking for First Major Tournament Appearance
Kvara Out for Georgia
Neither Georgia nor Luxembourg have ever qualified for a major tournament. They’ve both got a decent shot to make Euro 2024 now and will face off in Thursday’s Euro Qualifying Play-off Semifinal. The winner of the match will meet Kazakhstan or Greece in next Tuesday’s Path C final. Georgia’s job will be a fair bit harder now that star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is suspended. Ahead of Thursday’s match, we’ll preview the Georgia vs Luxembourg betting odds.
Georgia vs Luxembourg
Date, time:
Location: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia
Georgia vs Luxembourg Head-to-Head
This is the first-ever opportunity to bet on Georgia vs Luxembourg betting odds in a competitive match. The two sides have only met before in friendlies, the most recent of which was in 2018. Luxembourg won 1-0 on the day and it was their first win vs. Georgia. In this fixture, Georgia have been the better pick for soccer betting, with a 2-1-1 record.
Georgia on Scoring Streak
Georgia advanced to the Euro Qualifying Play-offs based on their unbeaten performance in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League C. They were the only team to go unbeaten in League C and they finished 5-1-0 in the Group 4 standings. However, they finished in fourth place of five teams in the Group A UEFA Euro Qualifiers standings. Given Spain, Scotland and Norway were also in Georgia’s group, their performance wasn’t awful. They went 2-2-4 with two wins over Cyprus and draws vs. Norway and Scotland.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Napoli winger, is Georgia’s best player and it’ll be difficult to have him out here. Kvara scored four goals in qualifiers and provided one assist. The Georgian Football Federation was reportedly unaware that Kvaratskhelia would be suspended if he picked up a yellow card in their last match vs. Spain. Yellow card suspensions do indeed carry over to the Play-offs and instead, they may rely on Metz striker Geoges Mikautadze. Mikautadze scored three goals in qualifiers.
Bettors should note that Georgia have conceded in seven of their eight matches in UEFA Euro qualifiers. Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is Valencia’s number one, ranks sixth in qualifiers with 32 saves. Georgia tend to win the matches they should and they sometimes punch above their weight. They’ve also scored in their last five qualifiers.
Luxembourg Having Historic Campaign
Heading into Euro 2024 qualifiers, Luxembourg had only won one game in their last four qualifying campaigns. In ten UEFA Euro qualifiers games, they managed to pick up five wins, which was more than their previous six campaigns combined. Luxembourg finished behind Portugal and Slovakia in Group J but ahead of Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Liechtenstein. While they did get outscored 15-0 in two matches vs. Portugal, Luxembourg only lost one road match in qualifiers.
Gerson Rodrigues was tied for tenth in the competition, with five goals and he’ll be a key player for Thursday’s match. Luxembourg have a few players out due to injury, including defender Dick Carlson, midfielder Vincent Thill and defender Marvin Martins. Winger Danel Sinani is also serving a suspension here. Sinani scored three goals in qualifiers, which ranked second on the team.
Even if the road were to end here for Luxembourg, they can be proud of the historic campaign they’ve had. Luxembourg had never previously won more than three matches in any qualifying campaign and they’ve managed five wins here. They also managed to keep four shutouts in ten matches.
Georgia vs Luxembourg Match Analysis & Odds
Even without their star winger, the Georgia vs Luxembourg betting odds list the hosts as favorites. Georgia have lost just one of their last 11 matches on home soil and they went 1-2-1 at home in group qualifiers. While Georgia can’t replace Kvaratskhelia, Luxembourg have a few key absences as well. They’re +340 underdogs for this one.
Meanwhile, Georgia come in as -110 moneyline favorites and they’ve gotten on the scoresheet in their last seven games at home. Luxembourg midfielder Leandro Barreiro played every minute in group qualifiers and he’ll have to step up with Thill out. Since March 2022, Luxembourg have lost just one road match and this won’t necessarily be a walk in the park for Georgia.
Luxembourg +0.5 sits at -115 odds and a draw (+235) would force extra time here. Since taking a 9-0 beating at Portugal’s hands, Luxembourg have conceded just four goals in their last four. This could be a low scoring one, as under 2, 2.5 goals display -125 odds. Still, Georgia have scored 15 goals in their last four games, in all competitions.
