RFS head coach Viktor Moroz will prepare the team for the UEFA Champions League debut against the Finnish club HJK in Helsinki.
Photo: Nora Krevņeva-Baibakova / RFS
Gints Narogs, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”
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The national champions in football “RFS” will make their UEFA Champions League debut in the first round against the Finnish club “HJK”, while “Riga” and “Liepāja” will meet with clubs from Northern Ireland and Kosovo in the European Conference League.
The draw is not bad and all three units have a good chance of reaching the next round. RFS was not among the teams to be sown, Sweden’s Malmo and Norway’s Bodo / Glimt, as well as the most grateful versions of Wales ‘The New Saints and Vilnius’ Žalgiris, could also be won, but the lottery fell in favor of the Helsinki version. HJK is Finland’s most titled team of all time, becoming national champion 31 times, including 12 this century and in the previous two years.
This season it is in the second place after 11 games, immediately after Kuopio “KuPS” represented by Jānis Ikaunieks. Both clubs have 26 points each, but KuPS has spent less than one game. Also this week, the Helsinki team reached the quarterfinals of the Finnish Cup. “RFS” has already played with “HJK” this season, at the end of January in the test game in Helsinki with a 2: 0 victory for the Latvian championship team (goals were scored by Kevin Friesenbihler and Delhi Israel).
The first game will be on July 5 or 6, the match will be played in a week at Sloka Stadium. The winners will continue to play in the Champions League qualifiers, while the losers will advance to the third round of the UEFA European Conference instead of the second qualifier.
It is also a relative success, as it would be 200,000 euros more for the club’s budget. Of course, at the moment all the thoughts of Rigans will be only about a successful debut in the Champions League, because there are very good chances to move on.
“Liepāja” and “Riga” cannot complain about the lottery in the conference league either. The people of Kurzeme will compete with the Kosovo club “Gjilani”, which was in the third place in the local championship last season. They played in the Eurocups only once, winning a team from San Marino in the UEFA Europa League two years ago, but then losing to Cyprus’ APOEL.
A stronger opponent has been the Riga team, which will meet with the Northern Irish club Derry City, which plays in the Irish Premier League. Founded in 1928, the team is a five-time Irish champion (last time in 2010), having played extensively in the European Cups, beating Riga’s Skonto in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League in 2009 (1: 0, 1: 1).
The unit, which has been awarded the “red-white army” at the international level for the last three times, has already lost in the first round. It finished fourth in the Irish Championship last year, but is in third place this season. “Riga” will host the first game.
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