Latvia vs Faroe Islands

Skonto stadions sets the stage for a low-profile UEFA Nations League showdown between European minnows Latvia and the Faroe Islands.

Latvia couldn’t have imagined a worse way to kick off their Group C4 journey as Armenia thrashed them 4-1 in a curtain-raising fixture, extending their winless streak in the Nations League to three matches (D1, L2). Despite such a dire form, the hosts can draw confidence from scoring on each occasion as they seek their first competitive win against the Faroe Islands in the 21st century (D3, L1). Interestingly, both previous meetings between these countries in the Nations League have produced identical 1-1 draws, with Latvia taking the lead each time. Though another stalemate would decrease the Latvians’ chances of securing League B promotion, they’d probably take it before the kick-off, considering they’ve won just once across their last eight internationals (D2, L5).

In the meantime, the Faroe Islands enjoyed a far better start to their second consecutive League C campaign than their hosts, sharing the spoils with North Macedonia in a 1-1 home draw last week. Despite throwing away a halftime lead in that fixture, the visitors halted a three-game losing run to set themselves nicely for this trip. However, the Faroes are not in good shape right now, with Hakan Ericson’s side heading into proceedings having picked up just one win from their last 17 matches overall (D2, L14). A lack of defensive solitude clipped their wings during that 17-game stretch as they only managed two clean sheets while conceding a whopping 30 goals, suggesting Latvia’s frontline may have a field day in Riga.