diff --git a/.github/workflows/maven-verify.yml b/.github/workflows/maven-verify.yml
index 3acefcf1..1dc71b90 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/maven-verify.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/maven-verify.yml
@@ -26,4 +26,6 @@ jobs:
     name: Verify
     uses: apache/maven-gh-actions-shared/.github/workflows/maven-verify.yml@v5
     with:
+      # one full run on the oldest Maven the ASF parent lets us build with, next to the regular matrix
+      matrix-include: '[{"os": "ubuntu-latest", "jdk": "8", "distribution": "zulu", "maven": "3.9.0"}]'
       maven4-enabled: true
diff --git a/src/it/auxclasspath-with-java-runtime-11/invoker.properties b/src/it/auxclasspath-with-java-runtime-11/invoker.properties
index 617c24af..e698201c 100644
--- a/src/it/auxclasspath-with-java-runtime-11/invoker.properties
+++ b/src/it/auxclasspath-with-java-runtime-11/invoker.properties
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 # specific language governing permissions and limitations
 # under the License.
 
+invoker.java.version = 11+
 invoker.toolchain.jdk.version = 11
 invoker.goals = clean verify
 invoker.debug = true