Latvian champions Riga Futsal Club will look to overturn a three-goal deficit on Friday when they host Spanish side Palma Futsal in the second leg of their UEFA Futsal Champions League quarter-final. The match will be played at Komandu sporta spēļu hallē in Rīga with kick-off at 19:30 local time, and the winner on aggregate will progress to the final four.
Riga trail 4-7 from the first leg, meaning they will need a strong performance at home against the three-time defending European champions. Despite the challenge, head coach Tiago Polido believes his team can compete at this level.
“The most important thing now is to learn something from the first game,” said the Portuguese manager. “The intensity was very high for us because in our domestic championship we don’t usually face opponents at this level.”
Riga reached the quarter-finals after defeating Kosovo champions Prishtina 11-4 on aggregate in the round of 16, while Palma progressed past Hit Kyiv 6-4 over two legs.
In the main round earlier in the tournament, Riga beat Luxol St Andrews 4-1, lost 1-6 to Benfica, and finished the group stage with a 2-0 win over Serbian champions Loznica-Grad 2018. The Latvian side has also reached the Champions League elite round in each of the previous two seasons.
Reflecting on the first leg, Polido admitted his team took time to adapt to Palma’s tempo but remains confident Riga can produce a better performance.
“I think we woke up a little bit late in the first game,” he said. “But if we do the simple things well and play at our best level, we can compete face to face with this team.”
Riga Futsal Club if do the little miracle today, for the first time they will reach the Final 4 section.
