Riga FC head coach Adrian Gula says his side must adapt quickly to the conditions in the Faroe Islands and embrace the responsibility of trying to reach the UEFA Conference League league phase ahead of their play-off first leg against KÍ Klaksvík.
Gula expects a different type of contest from Riga’s previous European matches, with the artificial surface, narrower pitch and KÍ’s physical approach likely to place greater emphasis on duels, second balls and set-pieces.
“We need to expect a different profile of the game,” Gula said. “This is nice because this is Europe. You face a different style, a different opponent, and you need to be ready for everything if you want to achieve big goals like we have.
“We expect more duels, more second balls, but it doesn’t mean they will not play with combinations. If you give them space, they are ready to play a short game. But we need to be ready for these specific details like set-pieces, not just corners, but also long throw-ins and deep free-kicks.”
The Riga coach believes his players’ familiarity with artificial pitches and difficult weather in Latvia could help them adjust, although he stressed that the dimensions of the pitch in Klaksvík will affect the game.
“The size of the pitch is not 68 metres,” he said. “This is a prediction for more duels, more second balls, and we need to be very, very solid defensively, very compact, and we need to play our style.”
Gula also expects KÍ to be difficult to break down. He highlighted their experience and their ability to defend in a compact 5-4-1, particularly when operating in a middle or low block.
“If they use this middle block or low block, you miss four metres and then you need to play very, very fast if you want to open some important spaces for the final passes,” he said.
“But I hope we are ready. They are a really experienced team, but I hope our advantage is that we are hungry. We are hungry to win. We are hungry to promote. It is our big dream and our big goal.”
Asked whether this year’s tie brings greater pressure than last season’s play-off against Sparta Prague, Gula instead described the situation as a responsibility.
“It’s responsibility. It’s responsibility,” he said. “You cannot underestimate the opponent. They were in the group stage, Riga still not yet, and this is the next step for the club. But for this step you cannot just wait. You have to fight, you have to work, you have to give maximum every single day to have the opportunity to play these matches.”
Gula said Riga should value the position they have reached rather than allow expectations to change their approach.
“I know a lot of good clubs with top structure, with top culture, with top players, and they are at home and we can play this game,” he said.
“This is for us a responsibility to give our best. Pressure is privilege for me. It doesn’t matter who is the opponent because you cannot control the draw.
“Something bigger can come if you give maximum, if you show character, if you show how much you want it. I believe our dressing room is ready to fight for promotion.”
Riga will be without Orlando Galo for the first leg. Gula confirmed that the midfielder is not ready to play after not featuring in the club’s previous match, while saying the remainder of the squad is ready for the challenge.
“Unfortunately, we have no Orlando Galo,” Gula said. “He missed also the last game and he’s not ready for this game. This is one important player, and the rest of the guys are ready to fight and ready to give maximum for Riga FC.”
For Gula, the task in Klaksvík ultimately comes down to adapting without moving away from the qualities that have brought Riga to the final qualifying round.
“It doesn’t matter about the weather, it doesn’t matter about the pitch, it doesn’t matter about everything, because if you want to achieve big goals, you need to jump every obstacle,” he said.
“The team showed character, good mentality, good physical part and also good individual quality. We see this first game as a complex game. We need to be totally strong.”
