FC RFS General Director Māris Verpakovskis shared his thoughts with Sportacentrs.com following the UEFA Europa League draw in Monaco. Verpakovskis expressed delight at the club’s participation in such a prestigious event and voiced satisfaction with the draw results, which see FC RFS facing teams like Ajax, PAOK, Galatasaray, Anderlecht at home, and Eintracht Frankfurt, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv, and FCSB Bucharest away.
“Our feelings are very positive; just being here brings great emotions,” said Verpakovskis. “We are pleased with the draw; we couldn’t have expected much better. It was clear we would face some big teams, and maybe we could have had slightly easier opponents, but we can’t complain. It will be challenging regardless.” He also mentioned a personal wish for a match against Manchester United: “That would have been something extraordinary for Riga, like Skonto’s games against Barcelona and Inter in the past.” He expressed excitement about playing against Dynamo Kyiv, a club he represented in his career, saying, “I am very happy with this outcome; it will be great to see familiar faces again.”
Verpakovskis also addressed the situation regarding home matches, noting that “There’s a 95% chance we will play at Daugava Stadium in Riga.” However, winter conditions pose a challenge: “We have asked UEFA to allow us to play our home games in the early part of the league phase and away matches in December and January. UEFA said that might not be possible, and we may have 1-2 home games in winter.” He added that the club is still exploring options, considering Daugava Stadium as the main venue, but noted that plans could change depending on weather conditions.
The complete schedule for all of FC RFS’s league phase matches is expected to be announced by UEFA tomorrow.