The Latvian national team will look to preserve its place in UEFA Nations League C when it hosts Gibraltar tonight at 19:00 at Skonto Stadium in the return leg of the play-off tie.
Latvia take a 1-0 lead into the match after winning the first game in Gibraltar five days ago, with Vladislavs Gutkovskis scoring the only goal from the penalty spot.
The first leg was far from convincing, especially in the opening half. Both head coach Paolo Nicolato and several players admitted afterward that Latvia’s first-half display was poor. The team improved after the break, however, and with the wind in their favour Latvia took control of the match, created more danger and eventually found the winner through Gutkovskis.
Even so, Nicolato was not satisfied with the result. The Italian coach said after the match that Latvia should have built a bigger advantage and pointed to chance conversion as one of the main areas that still needs improvement.
Finishing has been a recurring issue for Latvia under Nicolato. In 21 matches with the Italian in charge, Latvia have scored two or more goals only once – in the 2-2 draw against Andorra in October. In every other game, the team has either scored once or failed to score at all.
Latvia should have more options available for the return leg. Roberts Savaļnieks, who missed the first match through suspension, returns to the squad, while striker Roberts Uldriķis and midfielder Kristers Penkevics are also back in the matchday group. In Uldriķis’ case, Nicolato revealed after the first leg that the striker himself had not felt comfortable playing on Gibraltar’s artificial pitch, having only recently returned from a long-term knee injury.
Historically, Latvia have had the upper hand in this fixture. In six meetings between the two national teams, Latvia have recorded five wins, with the only defeat coming in March 2018, when they lost 0-1 away from home.
If Latvia get past Gibraltar tonight, it will not only mean they remain in Nations League C this autumn – where Montenegro, Armenia and Cyprus are already waiting – but it will also have implications for the future of the head coach. Nicolato’s current contract runs until April.
Latvia National Team – March 2026
Goalkeepers
- Rihards Matrevics (18 Mar 1999) – Dukla Praha (Czech Republic) – Caps: 16, Goals: 0
- Krišjānis Zviedris (25 Jan 1997) – Riga FC – Caps: 7, Goals: 0
- Frenks Dāvids Orols (28 Jun 2000) – Riga FC – Caps: 0, Goals: 0
Defenders
4. Roberts Savaļnieks (4 Feb 1993) – FC RFS – Caps: 72, Goals: 2
5. Andrejs Cigaņiks (12 Apr 1997) – FC Luzern (Switzerland) – Caps: 69, Goals: 4
6. Raivis Andris Jurkovskis (9 Dec 1996) – Riga FC – Caps: 59, Goals: 0
7. Antonijs Černomordijs (26 Sep 1996) – Riga FC – Caps: 46, Goals: 2
8. Vitālijs Jagodinskis (28 Feb 1992) – Visakha FC (Cambodia) – Caps: 39, Goals: 0
9. Daniels Balodis (10 Jun 1998) – Tatran Prešov (Slovakia) – Caps: 25, Goals: 1
10. Deniss Meļņiks (7 Sep 2002) – FK Auda – Caps: 11, Goals: 0
11. Roberts Veips (22 Feb 2000) – FC RFS – Caps: 5, Goals: 0
12. Emīls Birka (25 Apr 2000) – Riga FC – Caps: 1, Goals: 0
13. Niks Sliede (8 Mar 2004) – FC RFS – Caps: 1, Goals: 0
14. Denniss Cirkins (6 Apr 2002) – Sunderland AFC (England) – Caps: –, Goals: –
Midfielders
15. Jānis Ikaunieks (16 Feb 1995) – FC RFS – Caps: 73, Goals: 12
16. Aleksejs Saveļjevs (30 Jan 1999) – FK Asia Talas (Kyrgyzstan) – Caps: 35, Goals: 1
17. Eduards Emsis (23 Feb 1996) – SK Super Nova – Caps: 33, Goals: 2
18. Dmitrijs Zelenkovs (15 May 2000) – FC RFS – Caps: 23, Goals: 1
19. Renārs Varslavāns (23 Aug 2001) – Riga FC – Caps: 21, Goals: 1
20. Lūkass Vapne (31 Aug 2003) – Sogndal IL (Norway) – Caps: 17, Goals: 0
21. Danila Patijčuks (22 Mar 2003) – FK Liepāja – Caps: 0, Goals: 0
22. Kristers Penkevics (28 Jan 2003) – FC Zlín (Czech Republic) – Caps: 2, Goals: 0
23. Kristaps Grabovskis (14 Jun 2005) – B93 (Denmark) – Caps: 2, Goals: 0
Forwards
24. Vladislavs Gutkovskis (2 Apr 1995) – Arka Gdynia (Poland) – Caps: 60, Goals: 14
25. Roberts Uldriķis (3 Apr 1998) – Arminia Bielefeld (Germany) – Caps: 55, Goals: 8
26. Marko Regža (20 Jan 1999) – FC Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) – Caps: 17, Goals: 0
