Latvia seek first-ever win against Montenegro in penultimate Nations League match
Photo: LFF Latvia will look to secure their first victory of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign when they face Montenegro in Podgorica on Thursday evening. The match at Podgorica City Stadium will kick off at 21:45 Latvian time, with Paolo Nicolato’s side aiming to keep their hopes of finishing third in League C alive.
Latvia have endured a disappointing Nations League campaign so far, collecting just one point from their opening four matches across the September and October international windows. Nicolato’s team can no longer finish higher than third in their group, although that position remains mathematically possible with two matches remaining.
Thursday’s opponents Montenegro defeated Latvia 1-2 at Skonto Stadium in Rīga during the previous international window. Sassuolo midfielder Vasilije Adžic scored both goals for the visitors, while young Latvian international Markuss Strods pulled one back late in the match, registering his first goal for the senior national team.
Latvia have received several boosts ahead of the return fixture, with captain Antonijs Černomordijs available again after serving a suspension against Cyprus. Queens Park Rangers defender Denniss Cirkins also returns after featuring in three of Latvia’s four matches during the previous international window.
Cirkins missed the fourth match following an agreement between the Latvian Football Federation and QPR, as the defender was not considered physically ready to play all four fixtures in such a short period.
Another important returnee is RFS attacking midfielder Jānis Ikaunieks, who missed the previous international window through injury.
Thursday’s encounter will be the sixth meeting between Latvia and Montenegro. The Montenegrins have won three of the previous five encounters, while the other two ended in draws, leaving Latvia still searching for their first victory against the Balkan nation.
Weather conditions could also play a role in Podgorica, where heavy rainfall has continued over the past few days and is expected to persist during Thursday’s match.
Despite the considerable amount of rain, both Latvia captain Černomordijs and Montenegro captain Stefan Savic praised the condition of the pitch during Wednesday’s pre-match press conferences.
Černomordijs, who will be playing at Podgorica City Stadium for the second time, admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the playing surface, describing it as significantly better than during his previous visit.
Following the match in Montenegro, Latvia will immediately return home to prepare for their final Nations League fixture against Armenia on Sunday, 15 November.
Latvia National Team – November 2026 Squad
Goalkeepers
- Rihards Matrevics – RFS | 21 caps, 0 goals
- Nils Toms Puriņš – Auda | 3 caps, 0 goals
- Frenks Dāvids Orols – Riga FC | 2 caps, 0 goals
Defenders
- Roberts Savaļnieks – RFS | 77 caps, 2 goals
- Andrejs Cigaņiks – Luzern (SUI) | 76 caps, 4 goals
- Raivis Andris Jurkovskis – Riga FC | 65 caps, 0 goals
- Antonijs Černomordijs – Riga FC | 52 caps, 3 goals
- Daniels Balodis – Auda | 28 caps, 1 goal
- Deniss Meļņiks – Falkirk (SCO) | 16 caps, 0 goals
- Maksims Toņiševs – Riga FC | 11 caps, 1 goal
- Denniss Cirkins – QPR (ENG) | 3 caps, 0 goals
- Oskars Vientiess – Teplice (CZE) | 3 caps, 0 goals
Midfielders
- Eduards Emsis – Super Nova | 36 caps, 2 goals
- Eduards Dašķevičs – Auda | 28 caps, 1 goal
- Dmitrijs Zelenkovs – RFS | 28 caps, 1 goal
- Lūkass Vapne – Sogndal (NOR) | 24 caps, 0 goals
- Kristaps Grabovskis – Dila (GEO) | 4 caps, 0 goals
- Markuss Strods – Bohemians (IRL) | 4 caps, 1 goal
- Danila Patijčuks – Liepāja | 3 caps, 0 goals
- Kristers Čudars – Ogre United | 2 caps, 0 goals
- Ivans Patrikejevs – Super Nova | Uncapped
Forwards
- Jānis Ikaunieks – RFS | 74 caps, 12 goals
- Vladislavs Gutkovskis – Arka Gdynia (POL) | 65 caps, 14 goals
- Roberts Uldriķis – Heerenveen (NED) | 60 caps, 8 goals
- Alberts Aleksanjans – Norrköping (SWE) | 2 caps, 0 goals
