Today’s Riga Derby will mark the halfway point of the 2024 Virsliga season as both Latvian powerhouses will face off at Skonto Stadium in a highly anticipated match.
Both sides have already faced each other twice this year – in the Latvian Super Cup final and the Virsliga. While RFS comfortably managed to beat Riga in the Super Cup final, earning a 3-1 win, the same wasn’t the case for their encounter in Virsliga, as Riga earned a deserved victory at RFS’ home ground (1-0).
Although RFS maintained their spot at the top of the table, eight gameweeks later, things have taken a slight turn, with Riga sitting two points clear of the current Latvian champions.
Teams’ form and style of play
Despite an unconvincing start to the season, since Matchday 7, Riga FC haven’t dropped a single point, winning 11 out of the 11 matches they’ve played. Meanwhile, RFS have had their share of struggles, escaping with a draw in the game against FS Jelgava and later losing to FK Liepāja away from home. However, since Jānis Ikaunieks’ return, they’ve managed to win their last 4 matches, scoring a total of 15 goals across them.
Both capital teams not only rank first in the table, but also in goals scored and conceded. RFS have scored 41 goals so far, which is one more than Riga, but, considering Riga’s slow start, it wouldn’t be surprising if they’ll soon overcome their rivals, as in their 11 match winning streak, Adrian Gula’s side have showed remarkable attacking football, averaging 2.6 goals per game. Their defense is even more impressive as in this run, Riga have kept 8 clean sheets, conceding just 4 goals.
From a defensive point of view, the same can’t be said for RFS. If we take the same 11 gameweeks, RFS have conceded 11 goals, keeping a clean sheet just three times. One factor that could play a significant role in this might not only be Sergejs Vilkovs’ adaptation as the new first goalkeeper, but also injuries. During this period, Žiga Lipušček, Herdi Prenga, Roberts Savaļnieks, and Niks Sliede have all been sidelined for some of the games, making Viktors Morozs explore different kinds of player combinations in defense.
Key players and players to watch
With Emerson and Marhiev leaving as well as the 2024 Latvian Footballer of the Year suffering an injury early on, at the start, RFS’ new arrivals of Mor Talla, Jeremie Porsan-Clemente, and Yukiyoshi Karashima struggled to adapt in Viktors Morozs’ system, which made them massively rely on the veteran striker Darko Lemajič to carry their attack. But with Jānis Ikaunieks’ return and the new signings finally finding their form, RFS are once again showing their best side in attack.
- Darko Lemajič – Virsliga’s top scorer so far this season, the Serb has managed to find the back of the net 14 times already this season and will surely look to get one over his former club once again.
- Mor Talla – another former Riga FC player who lately has shown his best abilities and is establishing himself as a starter in Morozs’ side. In his last six matches, Mor Talla has scored five and assisted two goals, making him one of the players to keep an eye out for in this match.
- Jānis Ikaunieks – sitting out almost the whole first half of the season, Ikaunieks is eager to get back into his prime scoring form and will be extra motivated to prove himself following his penalty miss against Albania this international break.
Riga had a slow start by underperforming their xG, but the attack opened up as the season went on. The front three of Reginaldo Ramires, Anthony Contreras, and Brian Pena have been doing wonders in attack this season, scoring almost 50% of Riga’s goals.
- Reginaldo Ramires – Virsliga’s top scorer of last season has continued his great scoring form, scoring nine goals and assisting once so far.
- Anthony Contreras – the Costa Rican international hasn’t been called up to the national team for the ongoing Gold Cup tournament in the USA, and will be ready for the match. Contreras has scored five and assisted one goal so far this season.
- Raivis Andris Jurkovskis – an important part in both defense and offense. The Latvian fullback has lately been delivering some great performances for Riga, bringing his tally up to two goals and four assists this season.
Injuries & suspensions
Due to ongoing international tournaments, both teams will be without one of their regular starting XI players. Riga FC will be without their main midfielder and first Riga Derby hero, Orlando Galo, who is away with the Costa Rica national team in the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Lasha Odisharia won’t be able to help RFS as the Georgian winger is away in the U21 European Championship with his national team.
For Riga, other than Orlando Galo, all the other players are available for selection. The same can’t be said for RFS, though, as Roberts Savaļnieks, Niks Sliede, as well as Ismael Diomande, Victor Osuagwu, and Mārtiņš Ķigurs are still recovering from their injuries.
Manager head-to-head review
This will be the 44th Riga Derby. The record currently stands as follows: RFS – 16 wins, Riga FC – 13 wins, draws – 15 times.
This will mark Viktors Morozs’ 27th Riga Derby as Adrian Gula is the 11th different Riga manager he’s faced during his time at RFS. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 1-1, with both managers grabbing a single victory against each other this season.
Impact players
Although not being very consistent, Riga’s Gauthier Mankenda is known for showing up when it matters. The best example is his performance against FC Kecskemeti back in the 2023 UECL qualifiers, delivering a world-class performance after coming off the bench. Another player from Riga you always have to be on the lookout for is Reginaldo Ramires – the Brazilian striker is one of the most dangerous forwards in Virsliga over the last few seasons and has scored twice in his last four appearances against RFS.
Apart from the already mentioned Darko Lemajič and Jānis Ikaunieks, RFS can always pose a threat from set-piece situations. Petr Mareš and Žiga Lipušček are the players who could have an impact there, with Mareš always causing a threat with his deadly crosses, leading the Virsliga assists charts with eight so far this season. And with RFS having the best crossing accuracy in the league with 42.2% out of the 410 crosses, it wouldn’t be surprising if the ball would find the heads of Lipušček or Herdi Prenga.
