Aiming to complete one of their greatest-ever comebacks, Larne of Northern Ireland will host Rigas Futbola Skola at Inver Park on Wednesday night for the second leg of their Champions League qualifying first-round tie.
The Inver Reds find themselves with a mountain climb after a collapse in the Latvian capital last week, when RFS were without doubt the superior side and enjoyed a convincing victory as a result.
Match preview
Plying their trade in the second tier of Northern Ireland as recently as 2019, Larne are enjoying a golden period in their history as they compete in European competition for a fourth straight season, whilst also earning a spot in the qualification rounds of the Champions League in consecutive years.
That being said, the romance of another continental adventure for the Inver Reds did little to soften the blow of a chastening loss at LNK Sports Parks last Wednesday night, when the visitors were condemned to a three-goal defeat that has them on the verge of elimination.
Larne avoided an early setback as Ziga Lipuscek's strike was ruled out by VAR in the 15th minute, but RFS would not be denied for too much longer, with goals from Martins Kigurs, Daniels Balodis and Stefan Panic sentencing the Inver Reds to a significant first-leg battering.
Following last week's loss, Tiernan Lynch's troops have now failed to win any of their last seven matches across the Champions League and Europa Conference League, with Wednesday night's clash handing the hosts an opportunity to win only their fifth game on the continental stage.
On their way to the Premiership crown in April, Larne showcased their strength when playing in front of their home faithful, recording 8-1 and 5-0 wins over Cliftonville and Coleraine respectively to seal the Inver Reds' domestic crown.
Rigas Futbola Skola are arguably the most in-form team taking part in the early stages of the Champions League, with Wednesday's visitors extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 matches (11W, 1D) with the 3-0 smashing of Larne at LNK Sporta Parks.
Despite tasting defeat on just one occasion during a 36-game campaign in 2023, the Latvian powerhouses only lifted the Virsliga title by the skin of their teeth, finishing a single point above second-placed Riga FC to secure a spot in this season's Champions League qualifying.
Vladimirs Zavoronkovs's side are well on course for back-to-back domestic crowns after winning 18 of their 22 matches in the Virsliga so far in 2024, meaning that they possess a seven-point advantage over title challengers Riga as attention turns to continental adventures on Wednesday.
Rested from the start during the one-sided first leg, Darko Lemajic will be hoping to be selected in the XI at Inver Park this week as he looks to add to his tally of 10 goals so far in 2024, with the towering Serbian currently leading the race for RFS' Golden Boot award.
The Latvians have considerable pedigree in UEFA competitions over recent years, featuring in the group stages of the 2022-23 Europa Conference League, in which they recorded a historic 1-1 draw at the home of eventual finalists Fiorentina.
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Team News
After failing to find the net during the first leg, Larne could opt for some attacking alterations, with the likes of Conor McKendry and Andy Ryan potentially dropping out of the XI.
The Inver Reds could bring Matthew Lusty and Paul O'Neill into the side, with the pair possessing the energy required to successfully reduce a three-goal deficit.
With Lemajic set to start for the visitors, Larne could change their defence in an attempt to limit the influence of the Serbian, with Sean Graham possibly partnering Cian Bolger at centre-back.
Providing a constant source of creativity on the right flank since his arrival from Finnish outfit KuPS in 2023, Janis Ikaunieks will continue in the RFS XI at Inver Park.
Adding another clean sheet to their tally last time out, there is no reason for the Virsliga champions to deviate from a back three of Balodis, Herdi Prenga and Lipuscek.
Larne possible starting lineup:
Ferguson; Cosgrove, Graham, Bolger, Ives; Gallagher, Donnelly, Sloan; Lusty, McKendry, Bonis
Rigas Futbola Skola possible starting lineup:
Ondoa; Balodis, Prenga, Lipuscek; Ikaunieks, Markhiev, Panic, Mares; Diomande, Deocleciano, Lemajic
We say: Larne 1-1 Rigas Futbola Skola (RFS win 4-1 on aggregate)
Losing just two of their previous six home matches in European competition, Larne should be relatively confident of avoiding a repeat of the first leg.
That being said, the chances of the Inver Reds progressing into the second round of qualifying are extremely slim, with RFS likely to extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
