Will RFS move on for the second year in a row, or Levadia for the first time in 11 years

Tonight, in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, Latvian champions FC RFS inside the sold-out LNK Sporta Parks will aim to protect a narrow lead against Estonian champions FCI Levadia. RFS are seeking to reach the second qualifying round for the second consecutive season, while Levadia are hoping to achieve that milestone for the first time since the 2014–15 campaign.

Last week in the first leg at Tallinn’s A. Le Coq Arena, RFS came away with a slim 1–0 victory thanks to a penalty calmly converted by Serbian midfielder Stefan Panic in the 55th minute. The spot-kick was awarded after Levadia’s Mihkel Ainsalu handled the ball inside his own box.

Late in the game, Levadia had a golden opportunity to equalize, but two crucial saves from RFS goalkeeper Jevgenijs Nerugals and a vital block from RFS debutant Roberts Veips kept the Latvian side’s clean sheet intact. At yesterday’s pre-match press conference, RFS head coach Viktors Morozs admitted that his side after scoring the opening goal deliberately dropped deeper in the second half to nullify Levadia’s pace on the counterattack. “They are very fast players, and we didn’t want to let the game become too open,” Morozs explained.

This tactical adjustment resulted in less than 40% possession for RFS—only the second time this season they’ve had such a low share of the ball (the first being the most recent Riga derby).

In between the two European fixtures, RFS had to grind out a hard-fought win in the Latvian Cup, beating FS Jelgava 1–0 away thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Jānis Ikaunieks. Levadia, on the other hand, had a full week to prepare. When asked if the break might impact his squad, Levadia’s coach Curro Torres responded: “Yes, we didn’t play in the league and that helped us a lot in our recovery. But in the Europe, it’s a lot about the mental side and it doesn’t really matter whether you played at the weekend or not.”

Around 140 Levadia supporters are expected to make the trip to Riga, adding a vocal presence to what will be a sold-out crowd at LNK Sporta Parks. Kickoff is set for 20:00 local time.

The winner of this tie will face either Swedish champions Malmö FF or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the second qualifying round. Malmö currently holds the upper hand after a 3–1 away victory in the first leg. The loser of the RFS–Levadia tie will drop into the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they’ll meet the loser of the Malmö vs Iberia encounter.