Red Devils practice at home against Luxembourg on Sunday 9 June
European Championship preparation programme takes shape
Now that the playing schedule is set, preparations for the European Championship are gaining momentum. The Red Devils' base camp has been booked: the Schlosshotel Monrepos in Ludwigsburg. And the last friendly match before leaving for Germany is also fixed. Ten years after the last Belgium-Luxembourg match, the two countries are meeting once again. On Sunday 9 June at 4pm, the Red Devils host their neighbours at the King Baudouin Stadium for a friendly match.
Friendly match
On Monday 17 June, the Devils kick off their European Championship against Slovakia in Frankfurt. In the run-up to the tournament, coach Domenico Tedesco's troops will play two friendly matches. The first is yet to be fixed, the second and last match will be played against Luxembourg on 9 June at 4pm at the King Baudouin Stadium. The Luxembourgers – after a strong qualifying campaign – are still in the running for the European Championship after finishing third in a pool with Portugal and Slovakia. They will play their play-off matches in March.
For the last encounter with the neighbouring country, we have to go back to 26 May 2014, then in preparation for the World Cup in Brazil. In Genk, Luxembourg were beaten by a score of 5-1. Romelu Lukaku (3x), Nacer Chadli and Kevin De Bruyne made the fans coo with delight. Due to Belgium substituting too many times, the match was not counted as an official international match.
The last competitive match between the two countries was in the 1992 European Championship qualifying campaign. In Luxembourg, the Red Devils won 0-2 after goals from Enzo Scifo and Marc Degryse.
Information on ticket sales for the game will follow later.
Base camp fixed
Meanwhile, the rest of the Red Devils' preparation programme is also taking shape. On 3 June, they will gather at the Proximus Basecamp in Tubize. After playing two practice matches, the Devils will move into their base camp on German soil on 12 June: the Schlosshotel Monrepos in Ludwigsburg.
The hotel – from the UEFA catalogue – will be entirely reserved for the Red Devils during the European Championship. The conditions on site are perfect. The hotel is quiet, easily accessible and sufficiently spacious.