Latvia begin their new UEFA Nations League C campaign on Friday evening with an away match against Armenia in Yerevan. Paolo Nicolato’s side return to a venue where they suffered a heavy defeat during the previous Nations League cycle, but arrive this time with several new faces and QPR defender Denniss Cirkins set to make his long-awaited international debut. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 Baltic time.
This will be Nicolato’s second Nations League campaign in charge of Latvia. During his first, Armenia proved to be a difficult opponent, winning both meetings between the sides. Latvia suffered a 1-4 defeat in Yerevan before losing the return fixture 1-2 in Rīga.
Plenty has changed for Armenia since those matches, including three changes in the dugout. The national team is now led by Yeghishe Melikyan, a former Armenia international who made more than 30 appearances for his country during his playing career.
The hosts enter Friday’s match with several notable absentees. Kamo Hovhannisyan, who has made close to 100 international appearances, is unavailable through injury, while Vahan Bichakhchyan and Grant-Leon Ranos are also among those ruled out.
One familiar danger for Latvia will be Eduard Spertsyan. The 26-year-old Al-Ahli midfielder has scored 12 goals in 42 appearances for Armenia and found the net against Latvia in both meetings during the previous Nations League campaign.
Latvia have problems of their own. Kristers Tobers has not featured for the national team since November 2024, while Dario Šits misses the window after suffering an injury in one of his latest league appearances in the Netherlands. Jānis Ikaunieks and Kristaps Grabovskis are also unavailable against Armenia because of injuries, although their involvement later in the international window will be assessed on a day-to-day basis.
Nicolato has brought several fresh faces into his squad, with seven players still waiting to make their senior international debuts. For five of them, Cirkins, Oskars Rubenis, Kristers Čudars, Markuss Strods and Alberts Aleksanjans, this is their first full senior national team camp.
Rubenis and Čudars will have to wait for their opportunity after being left out of the 23-man matchday squad, but Cirkins is set to make his Latvia debut in Yerevan. The QPR defender, who previously represented Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, has been linked with the Latvian national team for several years before finally committing his international future to Latvia.
Born in Ireland, Cirkins completed the necessary process to become eligible to represent Latvia and joined the national team setup ahead of the new Nations League campaign. Speaking to Latvian media earlier this week about his decision, the defender explained that he had chosen to follow his heart.
Friday’s meeting will be the seventh between Latvia and Armenia and remarkably the fifth in the space of just three years. Latvia have won twice, Armenia three times, while one match ended in a draw. Latvia’s first victory came in a 2-0 friendly win in 2014, when Valērijs Šabala scored both goals, while the most recent success came under Dainis Kazakevičs at Skonto Stadium in October 2023, again by a 2-0 scoreline. Armenia, however, won both meetings in the previous Nations League campaign.
The match will take place at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, with kick-off at 19:00 Baltic time. The stadium holds more than 14,000 spectators, and Baltic Football News understands from conversations with Armenian Football Federation representatives that an attendance of around 12,000 to 13,000 is expected.
Latvia will fly back to Rīga on a charter flight immediately after the match before turning their attention to their first home fixture of the Nations League campaign, against Cyprus on Monday.
Goalkeepers
- Rihards Matrevics (18.03.1999) – RFS (LVA) – 17 caps / 0 goals
- Nils Toms Puriņš (01.08.1998) – Auda (LVA) – 3 / 0
- Frenks Dāvids Orols (28.06.2000) – Riga FC (LVA) – 2 / 0
Defenders
- Roberts Savaļnieks (04.02.1993) – RFS (LVA) – 75 / 2
- Andrejs Cigaņiks (12.04.1997) – FC Luzern (SUI) – 72 / 4
- Raivis Andris Jurkovskis (09.12.1996) – Riga FC (LVA) – 62 / 0
- Antonijs Černomordijs (26.09.1996) – Riga FC (LVA) – 49 / 3
- Daniels Balodis (10.06.1998) – Auda (LVA) – 27 / 1
- Deniss Meļņiks (07.09.2002) – Falkirk (SCO) – 12 / 0
- Maksims Toņiševs (12.05.2000) – Riga FC (LVA) – 10 / 1
- Oskars Vientiess (08.10.2002) – FK Teplice (CZE) – 0 / 0
- Denniss Cirkins (06.04.2002) – Queens Park Rangers (ENG) – 0 / 0
- Oskars Rubenis (03.02.1999) – Auda (LVA) – 0 / 0
Midfielders
- Aleksejs Saveļjevs (30.01.1999) – Asia Talas (KGZ) – 37 / 1
- Eduards Emsis (23.02.1996) – Super Nova (LVA) – 35 / 2
- Eduards Dašķevičs (12.07.2002) – Auda (LVA) – 24 / 0
- Dmitrijs Zelenkovs (15.05.2000) – RFS (LVA) – 24 / 1
- Lūkass Vapne (31.08.2003) – Sogndal IL (NOR) – 20 / 0
- Kristaps Grabovskis (14.06.2005) – Dila Gori (GEO) – 4 / 0
- Gļebs Žaleiko (27.07.2004) – FS Jelgava (LVA) – 2 / 0
- Danila Patijčuks (22.03.2003) – FK Liepāja (LVA) – 0 / 0
- Markuss Strods (05.10.2006) – Bohemian FC (IRL) – 0 / 0
- Kristers Čudars (03.09.1999) – Ogre United (LVA) – 0 / 0
Forwards
- Jānis Ikaunieks (16.02.1995) – RFS (LVA) – 74 / 12
- Vladislavs Gutkovskis (02.04.1995) – Arka Gdynia (POL) – 61 / 14
- Roberts Uldriķis (03.04.1998) – SC Heerenveen (NED) – 56 / 8
- Alberts Aleksanjans (10.03.2006) – IFK Norrköping (SWE) – 0 / 0
