Five Baltic clubs face defining night in UEFA Conference League qualifiers

Five Baltic clubs will be in UEFA Conference League qualifying action on Thursday evening, with FK Auda and Riga FC aiming to protect first-leg advantages away from home, while Flora Tallinn, RFS and Žalgiris Vilnius attempt to overturn multi-goal deficits to keep their European dreams alive.

The first Baltic side in action will be Estonian champions Flora Tallinn, who kick off at 19:00 local time at Lilleküla Stadium against Andorran champions Inter Club d’Escaldes. Flora trail 0-2 from the first leg after defeat in Andorra and now face an uphill battle to reach the UEFA Conference League play-off round.

With Paide Linnameeskond eliminated by Rapid Wien on Wednesday, Flora are Estonia’s last remaining representatives in the competition. Head coach Konstantin Vassiljev acknowledged in Wednesday’s pre-match press conference that the task is difficult, but insisted it is far from impossible, emphasizing that his side possess the quality to overturn the deficit.

One encouraging statistic for Flora is Inter d’Escaldes’ away record in European qualifiers. Since the start of the 2022/23 season, the Andorran champions have failed to win any away leg in a two-legged European tie, posting a record of two draws and six defeats. They did, however, push Greek side AEK Athens in a 3-4 defeat away from home two years ago.

The equation for Flora is straightforward. A two-goal victory would force extra time, while a win by three or more goals would send the Estonian champions directly into the play-off round, where Kosovo champions Drita are the likely opponents after their commanding 4-1 first-leg victory over San Marino’s Tre Fiori. Flora were without Sander Tovstik and Tony Varjund in the first leg, but Vassiljev expressed optimism that both could return for Thursday’s decisive encounter.

Half an hour later, Latvian league leaders RFS will welcome Czech side Jablonec to Rīga, also looking to erase a two-goal deficit after last week’s 0-2 defeat in Czechia.

Jablonec have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign, winning all three domestic league matches while posting a 2-0-1 record in Europe. Despite the first-leg defeat, RFS head coach Viktors Morozs remains confident that his team can turn the tie around in front of their home supporters.

The Latvian champions suffered a major setback before the first leg when first-choice goalkeeper Jevgeņijs Nerugals was injured during the warm-up, forcing summer signing Rihards Matrevics into the starting line-up. Morozs confirmed that Nerugals will again miss Thursday’s match, but expressed complete confidence in Matrevics despite the goalkeeper making only five appearances since joining the club earlier this summer.

Should RFS complete the comeback, they will face either Polish champions Jagiellonia Bialystok or Scottish side Rangers in the play-off round. Jagiellonia hold a narrow 2-1 advantage following the first leg in Poland.

At 21:30 Baltic time, Latvian champions Riga FC take a slender 1-0 lead into their return leg against Hungarian champions Győr.

Riga controlled large periods of last week’s match at Skonto Stadium and secured victory thanks to an early own goal, although they were left to regret several missed opportunities that could have provided a more comfortable cushion.

Head coach Adrian Gul’a insisted in the press-conference that his side would not abandon the attacking identity that has brought them success throughout the season.

“We will try to produce our best performance. Of course, we expect them to attack more, but our approach will not change because we always try to keep our identity. Football also depends on what the opponent offers, but we will look to make the most of our own strengths.”

Victory over Győr would move Riga FC within one tie of reaching the league phase of a UEFA competition for the first time in the club’s history. Their potential play-off opponents are either Polish champions Lech Poznan or Faroese champions KI Klaksvik, with Lech holding a narrow 1-0 advantage after the first leg.

The final two Baltic representatives enter the field at 22:00 Baltic time, facing very different challenges.

Latvian side FK Auda travel to Albania defending a 1-0 first-leg advantage against Dinamo City after Barthelemy Diedhiou’s spectacular winner in Rīga last week. Auda need only avoid defeat to book the biggest European result in club history.

Meanwhile, Žalgiris Vilnius face a near-impossible mission in Croatia after suffering a heavy 2-5 home defeat to Hajduk Split. Andrius Škerla’s side must overturn a three-goal aggregate deficit to keep their European campaign alive.

Should Auda progress, they will meet either Red Bull Salzburg or Pafos in the play-off round, with the Austrian side holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. If Žalgiris produce a remarkable comeback in Split, they will face either Polish side Rakow Czestochowa or Swedish club Hammarby, whose first leg ended in a draw.

UEFA Conference League 3rd qualifying round for Baltic clubs after first leg games: