The opponents for the reigning Baltic league winners in the UEFA Champions League 1st qualifying round have been drawn today in Nyon, Switzerland.
FCI Levadia Tallinn vs FC RFS
The champions of Estonia and Latvia will face off in a highly anticipated Baltic football tie on the European stage. Matchdays will take place on the 8th/9th July and 15th/16th July, with the 1st leg taking place in Tallinn, Estonia.
Levadia’s head coach Curro Torres commented on the draw, saying:
“We still have a few weeks before we can begin to analyze our UCL opponent in more detail, but it is already clear that a very complicated and difficult tie awaits us.”
The team’s captain Rasmus Peetson added, saying:
“It will be a serious challange.”
Both teams currently sit second in their domestic championships and have previously faced just once back in 2020, when the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Now, 5 years later, they’ll meet again on the European stage.
FK Žalgiris vs Hamrun Spartans FC
Vilnius Žalgiris were drawn to face Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans in the 1st qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
With the Maltese championship not having kicked off yet, the Lithuanian champions will have an upper hand going into this tie, considering that they are midway through their domestic season and surely in a better physical condition than the Hamrun Spartans. However, Žalgiris haven’t had the best start to the season as they currently sit 8th in the table and 11 points off the European qualification spots.
The first leg will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, while the return leg – a week later in Malta.
