Latvia will host Armenia as they look to pick up their first point of Euro 2024 qualifying. The Latvians are cut off at the bottom of the league after two losses last month. Their visitors are still in the running for a spot in Germany next summer.
Preview (Latvia vs. Armenia)
After being defeated 2-0 at home by Wales the previous time out in Group D of the European Championship qualification process, Latvia has now suffered five losses in a row and appears likely to finish last in their division. For the small Baltic country, which has now lost 10 of its past 12 home qualifiers for the Euros with their most recent defeat in September, defying the odds to reach that tournament in 2004 feels like a distant memory. The Wolves’ loss against Wales came after a 5-0 thrashing in Croatia just a few days earlier. This was a far cry from Latvia’s opening games when the Wolves came close to winning on numerous occasions.
In June, Latvia lost to this week’s opponents on a stoppage-time penalty in Armenia and then lost 3-2 to Turkey despite tying the score in the 94th minute thanks to captain Kristers Tobers. The Latvians have three games left to start their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. They look to restore some of their prestige after a successful UEFA Nations League campaign. It saw coach Dainis Kazakevics’ team promoted from League D. That is the best result they can aspire for since they are already seven points below the closest country. Armenia is one of the two teams slightly above Latvia in the standings and level with Wales.
The Armenians, are vying for their first-ever major tournament appearance. They are still very much in the mix with three games remaining. Croatia is the group favorite and now holds the lead with one game remaining. Oleksandr Petrakov, the former coach of Ukraine, will hope to build on recent successes. They are within striking distance of second-place Turkey before the tournament’s conclusion next month.
Team News
Not only is Latvia last in Group D, but they will also be without a number of key players this week. most notably Vladislavs Gutkovskis, a former Rakow Czestochowa striker who was crucial to Poland’s title victory last season and scored eight goals in the most recent World Cup qualifiers and Nations League campaign. Additionally sidelined due to injury is left back Raivis Jurkovskis, while team captain Kristers Tobers must serve a ban. Further, it’s possible that Antonijs Cernomordijs, a crucial defender, won’t be ready until Sunday’s match against Turkey. Positively, Dainis Kazakevics has chosen midfielders Oskars Vientiess and Bogdans Samoilovs for the first time. The latter is the league leader in assists (10) in Latvia’s Virsliga this year.
Sargis Adamyan of Koln has been dropped by Armenia owing to a lack of first-team activity in the Bundesliga, but Edgar Sevikyan, a Russian-born player, receives his first senior call-up and will fight with Grant-Leon Ranos, who scored a brace against Wales in June, for the starting spot up front. Ranos is one of many foreign-born players on the visiting team, joining defender Andre Calisir of Sweden and Nigerian defensive midfielder Ugochukwu Iwu. Tigran Barseghyan, a winger for Slovan Bratislava, is the Armenians’ top active scorer with nine goals. It included the late winner in their four-month-ago match against Latvia. With no goals and no points overall in the qualifying matches from September, Latvia’s struggles highlight how challenging Thursday’s match at Skonto Stadions could be for the host squad.
Latvia 0 – 2 Armenia
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