All three Baltic champions will be in UEFA Champions League first qualifying round action on Tuesday evening, with every club needing a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the second qualifying round alive.
Estonian champions Flora and Lithuanian title holders Kauno Žalgiris both face difficult away trips to Georgia and Kosovo respectively, while Latvian champions Riga FC will look to overturn a two-goal deficit at Skonto Stadium in front of their home supporters.
Flora will be the first Baltic representative to take the field, kicking off at 19:00 Baltic time away to Georgian champions Iberia 1999. Konstantin Vassiljev’s side face a difficult task after suffering a 2-3 home defeat in Tallinn last week.
Flora fought back admirably during the first leg despite spending much of the second half with ten men. Goals from Vladislav Kreida and Sander Alamaa brought the Estonian champions back into the contest, with Alamaa’s 73rd-minute strike levelling the score at 2-2 while down a player. However, the celebrations were short-lived as Bakar Kardava restored Iberia’s advantage just two minutes later.
Vassiljev will be without 18-year-old full-back Airon Kollo, who was sent off in the first leg and is suspended for the return match at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi.
The winners of the tie will advance to face Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava in the second qualifying round. The losing side will continue their European campaign in the UEFA Conference League, where they will meet the loser of the tie between Azerbaijan’s Sabah and Welsh champions The New Saints. Sabah hold a commanding 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
One hour later, Riga FC will attempt another memorable European comeback when they host Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia at Skonto Stadium after losing the first leg 0-2 in Yerevan.
The Latvian champions have received a significant boost ahead of the decisive encounter, with captain Antonijs Černomordijs returning from injury. The experienced centre-back missed the first leg but confirmed during Monday’s pre-match press conference that he is fully fit and ready.
Head coach Adrian Guľa will be hoping for another magical European night at Skonto Stadium. Overturning a two-goal deficit would not be unfamiliar territory for Riga. Last season they came close to completing a remarkable comeback against Sparta Prague after winning the home leg 1-0 following a 0-2 defeat in the Czech Republic. Before Guľa’s arrival, Riga also recovered from a two-goal aggregate deficit against Hungarian side Kecskemet, showing tremendous character to force extra time before eventually progressing.
This time, however, Riga will have to cope without first-choice goalkeeper Frenks Dāvids Orols, whose costly mistake in Armenia resulted in a red card. The suspension means Krišjānis Zviedris is expected to make his first start in more than two months.
Should Riga complete another famous comeback, they will face the winners of the tie between Maltese champions Floriana and Irish champions Shamrock Rovers in the second qualifying round. Floriana produced one of the biggest surprises of the opening week by defeating Shamrock Rovers 2-0 at home.
If Riga fail to overturn the deficit, they will instead enter the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round against the losers of the tie between Finland’s KuPS and North Macedonia’s Vardar. KuPS currently hold a 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg.
The final Baltic representative to take the field will be Lithuanian champions Kauno Žalgiris, who kick off at 21:00 Baltic time away to Kosovo champions Drita in what is the club’s debut UEFA Champions League campaign.
The first meeting in Kaunas ended 1-1 after Amine Benchaib gave Žalgiris the lead during the first half at Darius and Girėnas Stadium. However, the Lithuanian champions were unable to preserve their advantage, conceding a late equaliser that leaves the tie perfectly balanced heading into the return leg.
Speaking ahead of the match, head coach Željko Sopic admitted he expects Drita to play with much greater aggression in front of their home supporters.
The Croatian believes the Kosovo champions, who reached the UEFA Conference League knockout phase qualifiers last season, will press much higher from the opening whistle. Nevertheless, Sopic remains convinced the tie is still evenly balanced, describing it as a “50-50” contest despite Drita enjoying home advantage.
Victory would send Kauno Žalgiris into the second qualifying round against the winners of the tie between Faroese champions KÍ Klaksvík and Luxembourg’s FC Atert Bissen, with Klaksvík taking a 2-1 lead into the second leg.
Defeat would see the Lithuanian champions drop into the UEFA Conference League, where they would face the losers of the Floriana-Shamrock Rovers tie. The Irish champions will need to overturn a two-goal deficit at home after their surprise defeat in Malta.
