Thursday evening brings the continuation of the UEFA Conference League as two clubs from the Baltic region take to the pitch for their third fixtures of the league phase. Latvian runners-up Riga FC are set to welcome Czech club Jablonec to the Skonto Stadium, while Lithuanian champions Kauno Žalgiris undertake a challenging away journey to Switzerland to play against the in-form FC Lugano. The kickoff for both encounters is set for 22:00 Baltic time.
Going into this third fixture of the Conference League, Riga FC hold two points from their first two games. They achieved this through back-to-back 1-1 draws, playing Kairat of Kazakhstan at home and facing Cypriot team Pafos away.
Their upcoming opponents, Jablonec, have secured one point from their opening two fixtures, despite having encountered significantly harder opponents. The Czech team started their European run with a narrow 2-3 loss away against Bundesliga representatives Freiburg, followed by a 0-0 home draw against Premier League club Brighton.
Thursday’s game represents Jablonec’s second trip to Rīga within a span of several months. The Czech squad previously journeyed to the Latvian capital back in August to play RFS during the third qualifying round of the Conference League, knocking out the newly minted Latvian champions by securing a decisive 4-1 aggregate triumph.
This upcoming match additionally features a personal link for Riga FC manager Adrian Guľa, who spent three seasons of his playing career as a professional representing Jablonec.
Following a strong beginning to their domestic campaign, Jablonec have encountered a minor decline in their results and currently occupy the eighth position in the Czech top tier following 13 rounds of play. Even so, the league table is remarkably compact, with a mere four points dividing them from the second-place spot.
Concurrently, Riga FC aim to move past their domestic frustration following their defeat to RFS in the Virslīga championship battle. Having already accumulated a pair of draws, the squad led by Guľa will seek to translate their competitive displays in Europe into a maiden victory within the league phase.
Over in Switzerland, Kauno Žalgiris, who hold two Lithuanian championship titles, confront one of the most formidable sides in the Conference League as Lugano experience a stellar beginning to their campaign.
At present, the Swiss club command a nine-point advantage at the summit of their domestic league, having failed to win on only a single occasion across their first 12 matches. Their sole stumble occurred on September 12, when they played out a 2-2 tie against Young Boys.
Taking into account their matches in both European competition and the Swiss Cup, Lugano have not suffered a single defeat across all competitions throughout the current season, notching a remarkable total of 19 wins and three draws.
Their performances in Europe have proven equally dominant. Lugano commenced the league phase of the Conference League by beating Serbian giants Crvena Zvezda 3-2, subsequently overcoming Spanish La Liga club Getafe 5-2 in a high-scoring spectacle.
Conversely, Kauno Žalgiris have faced a tough introduction to the proper stage of the Conference League, enduring a pair of substantial losses during their initial two outings.
The Lithuanian title-holders commenced with a 0-4 loss on the road against Brighton, which was followed by a 1-4 home defeat against Norwegian club Brann during the second round. During that fixture, Brazilian striker Renan Oliveira netted the historic first-ever goal for the club in the main round of a European tournament.
SOURCE NAME: balticfootballnews.com
ORIGINAL HEADLINE: Riga and Kauno Žalgiris continue their Conference League campaign with home and away game
Source: balticfootballnews.com
