by Frank Marr
The first Big Riga derby of the season takes place already on Tuesday, 28th April at 20:00.
I cannot remember a Riga derby in recent years where the two Latvian powerhouse teams have arrived in such contrasting positions – not only in terms of style of play, but also areas of strength and the specific problems they are trying to solve. RFS are three points ahead, while Riga FC lead on goal difference by 10 goals.
So far this season, Riga FC have looked like a total-football attacking team. RFS, meanwhile, have been more cautious, structured and defensively aware, with a more risk-averse approach. RFS prefer steady, measured build-up play. Riga FC look to get the ball into attack like it’s rush hour in New York.
RFS are playing a controlled, possession-based and discipline-focused game. They have the ability to shift tactically both in and out of possession. They are as focused and composed.
Riga FC, on the other hand, are playing more free-flowing football: attacking, fast, direct and aggressive in the opposition’s final third. They want goals, and they are proving that this recipe is baking a tasty cake. But it also leaves them vulnerable.
Brazilians are a big part of Adrian Gul’a kitchen this year. Paulo Eduardo has been a permanent feature in the Riga FC defence this season, while the big surprise has been the productivity of Iago Siqueira in midfield, with five goals and two assists. Both players had struggled to break through in previous seasons, with Eduardo spending a year on loan with Auda.
Both teams have had minor issues so far, although these are often difficult to see against weaker opposition such as Ogre and Super Nova. Lower-level teams can put up a fight for the first hour of a game, but they can suddenly lose focus, hunger, or misjudge too many passes that are easy to intercept. Against sides like that, games can be killed off quickly. That is not something either team should expect against stronger opposition – which we have yet to properly see in the Virsliga this season.
Both teams have already taken damage
RFS, although the far better team against Auda, lost to a lethal combination of speed and counter-attacking football. They were unlucky – and this is football – but they still should have found the back of the net, ultimately losing 1-0 in their only loss of the season thus far. They are struggling to convert chances, they are overly reliant on Darko Lemajić, and Ismaël Diomandé’s ability as a direct striker to poach a goal or get shots on target has not quite materialised this season.
On the other hand, Riga FC selected the wrong players, misjudged their tactics and struggled with the change to an artificial pitch when losing 3-2 to Liepāja in the opening game of 2026. They have also looked vulnerable in defence. Conceding three goals in a 3-3 draw to Tukums, when striker Ede Oloko ran amok and scored a hat-trick, exposed defensive weaknesses and poor defensive duties from the champions – especially after they had controlled the game with 73% possession.
The core question for Riga FC is whether their defenders are ready. New Brazilian defender Abner, signed from Juventude, is yet to make his debut. Wing-backs like Salazar can be too attack-minded, while whether Paulo Eduardo is the right replacement for last year’s superstar El-Bachir Ngom, who was sold off to Swiss Grasshoppers, remains open to question.
Meanwhile, RFS can sustain dominance in games through solid ball possession, positional discipline and tactical structure. But is their counter-attack fast enough with an ageing squad? Despite recruiting the hyper-creative Mankenda from the ranks of their city rivals this year, and the super-quick Mor Talla from Auda the year prior, Viktors Morozs still appears to be dissatisfied with his options on the wings, especially as the Georgian U-21 Lasha Odisharia, who was handing out assists like candy in the first games of the season, is struggling with a hamstring injury once again. And is their finishing clinical enough for the level they need – especially in a blockbuster game against their “annoying neighbours”, or in a European qualifier? That is yet to be seen.
One thing is certain on Tuesday night: expect two teams that have created two very distinct Baltic football styles. Explosive flair versus pragmatic control. Positional discipline versus free-flowing attacking football.
It is all to play for in this early title-challenging, position-correcting type of a game. It will not determine the league just yet, but it will certainly show where each team stands in terms relative of cohesion, motivation, hunger and the level required to be the best team in the Baltics right now – and whether they have what it takes to make progress in Europe already in two months time.
