Baltic showdown in Tallinn: Levadia hosts RFS in Champions League opener

The new UEFA Champions League season kicks off tonight with an exciting clash between the Estonian champions FCI Levadia and Latvian title holders FC RFS. The two Baltic powerhouses meet in the first qualifying round at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, with kickoff set for 19:30 local time.

Levadia, 11-time Estonian Premium Liiga champions and current league leaders, begin their 11th Champions League campaign—returning to Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 2022–23. That campaign ended in disappointment with a humbling 1–6 defeat to Iceland’s Vikingur Reykjavik in the preliminary round.

Historically, Levadia has progressed past the first stage of the Champions League qualifiers four times. Their debut win 25 years ago came against Welsh club Total Network Solutions (now known as The New Saints), followed by victories over North Macedonia’s Pobeda, San Marino’s La Fiorita, and most notably, a famous two-legged triumph over Polish team Wisła Kraków. The Tallinn-based side now seeks to advance for a fifth time.

Club president Viktor Levada has made no secret of his ambition: he wants to see Levadia reach the main stages of a European competition—a feat already accomplished by domestic rivals Flora. With the introduction of the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League, such a goal is more realistic than ever for national champions. Levadia had a shot in the 2022–23 season but squandered their opportunity in the champions path, narrowly losing to Maltese side Hibernians 3–4 on aggregate.

In contrast, their opponents RFS have made the most of their chances in Europe through champions path. This marks their third Champions League qualifying campaign, and they’ve already made history. In their debut UEFA Champions League season season, RFS reached the group stage of the Conference League, earning draws against eventual finalists Fiorentina and Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir, only not getting a single point and losing both games to Scottish side Hearts.

But it was last season that truly elevated RFS to unprecedented heights in Baltic football. The Riga-based club reached the UEFA Europa League phase, holding their own against major European teams: draws at home against Galatasaray and Anderlecht, narrow away losses to Eintracht Frankfurt, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Dynamo Kyiv, and a historic 1–0 win over Ajax at the Daugava Stadium—thanks to Finnish midfielder Adam Markhiev, who scored the only goal in what many now regard as the most significant achievement for any Baltic club in the 21st century.

However, Markhiev has since moved on to Cypriot side Aris, and his absence is deeply felt. Often regarded as one of the best foreign players to ever grace the Latvian league, he left big shoes to fill. RFS attempted to replace him with FK Žalgiris star Yukiyoshi Karashima. Although their statistical profiles matched, RFS head coach Viktors Morozs publicly voiced concerns of the player early in the season. Despite recent improvements, Karashima’s start was underwhelming. In response, RFS strengthened their midfield with 19-year-old Serbian U21 international Strahinja Rakić (reportedly signed for €500,000 but not yet registered for this round) and 25-year-old Argentinian Facundo Garcia, who previously played in Cyprus.

While they’ve lost one star, RFS have retained many leaders from their “Magic Season” and some are breaking out like Georgian winger Lasha Odisharia. Acquired for a six-figure fee 18 months ago, Odisharia has blossomed into the top winger in the Latvian Virslīga, with dribbling skills that could spell serious trouble for Levadia’s full-backs tonight.

Even Levadia midfielder Mihkel Ainsalu acknowledged RFS’s rise, calling them ‘currently the most successful Baltic club’ in the pre-match press conference. Though the compliment holds merit, RFS have shown signs of vulnerability this season—suffering a shock defeat to league strugglers FK Metta and dropping points to FS Jelgava. While these results may not necessarily indicate inconsistency when viewed in the context of the full season, Levadia will still hope to exploit any weaknesses and catch them on an off day.

And the Estonians are hitting form at just the right time. Head coach Curro Torres, now in his third season, has steadily molded this team. A former player who appeared in a Champions League final with Valencia and represented Spain at the World Cup, Torres knows what it takes on the big stage.

Levadia boast a strong mix of experienced homegrown talent from all around Estonia—most of whom have been together here in Levadia since 2023—with key additions like Tanel Tammik and Henri Järvelaid in later season’s. Their foreign legion also stands out, including Richie Musaba, Ernest Agyiri, and João Pedro, who’ve all been prolific in the domestic league this year.

RFS share a similar team structure: a strong Latvian core, bolstered by experienced and impactful foreign players. Among the Latvian players, Jānis Ikaunieks who is arguably their talisman—a player of such stature that Levadia currently lack. Still, as we know, football isn’t won by individuals but by cohesive teams.

Both sides do have question marks between the posts. For Levadia, Karl Andre Vallner is a quality goalkeeper, but inconsistency and recent errors through out the season have raised concerns. On the RFS side, it’s unclear who will start—veteran Jevgenijs Nerugals or new signing Marko Marić, who has experience in top-level matches but may not yet be match-fit.

This is the first-ever European meeting between the two clubs, and notably, it also marks the first time either side is facing a club from the other’s country. Levadia have never previously played a Latvian team in European competition, just as RFS have yet to face Estonian opposition. While Levadia did face and defeat Lithuanian side FA Šiauliai in last season’s Conference League qualifiers, tonight’s encounter opens a new chapter in Baltic football history.

The return leg will be played next Tuesday in Riga. The winner of this tie advances to the Champions League second qualifying round, where they’ll face either Sweden’s Malmö FF or Georgia’s Iberia Tbilisi. The loser drops into the Conference League second qualifying round, with three more wins required to reach the group stage.

The match at A. Le Coq Arena will take place tomorrow at 19:30 Baltic Time. It will be broadcast live on Soccernet.ee’s YouTube channel with Estonian commentary, while Latvian channel TV4 and Sportacentrs.com will show the game with Latvian commentators.