Seeking its first win in this year’s UEFA Nations League C cycle, the Latvian men’s national football team faces Armenia at the Skonto Stadium on Sunday at 4:00 PM, concluding a difficult campaign that has yielded only one point from five matches.
- Goalscoring Options: With just three players scoring for Latvia in this cycle—Eduards Dašķevičs, Markuss Strods, and Deniss Meļņiks—fantasy managers and punters should temper expectations for high offensive output.
- Armenian Counter-Threat: Armenia enters with five points and defeated Latvia 2-0 in Yerevan earlier in the campaign, positioning them as slight favorites despite playing away.
Latvia sits at the bottom of the four-team group standings, while Armenia holds five points from their five fixtures. Montenegro secured the top spot in the group by defeating Latvia 1-2 on Thursday evening, a match where Latvia conceded the decisive second goal during stoppage time, mirroring a late concession earlier in the cycle in Cyprus.
“Tiešām labākā spēle pēc satura. Kopumā laikam tas raksturs komandai vēl nav izveidojies. Kā viņš veidojas? Nu visdrīzāk pārvarot šādas grūtības,” said Andris Riherts, head coach of football club “Metta”, speaking on a Latvian Television expert broadcast.
Despite the negative group standings, Riherts said that the Thursday fixture against Montenegro served as Latvia’s most coherent performance of the entire Nations League season. However, squad depth takes a hit for Sunday’s finale as Deniss Meļņiks, who scored against Montenegro, picked up an injury during that match and is expected to miss the fixture.
“Tie, kas izies [laukumā], tiem jādara viss, lai uzvarētu Armēniju savās mājās. Protams, tabulas nav jēgas skatīties, tur jau visiem viss ir skaidrs,” said Kristaps Blanks, coach of football club “Riga”, on Latvian Television.
Latvia has played nine matches across the calendar year, securing two wins and one draw while dropping six of their last seven encounters. Head coach Paolo Nikolato previously pointed to the initial 0-2 away defeat against Armenia in Yerevan as the team’s poorest display in the tournament.
Sunday’s match at the Skonto Stadium marks the sixth meeting between the two national sides in just over three years, following a 2023 Euro qualifying split where Armenia won 2-1 before Latvia claimed a 2-0 home revenge, followed by two UEFA Nations League defeats in 2024 by scores of 4-1 and 2-1 in Armenia’s favor. The hosts will debut a new jersey design featuring colors styled after the Latvian flag.
Disclaimer: The fantasy and market insights provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial or betting advice.
