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Before two League of Nations matches, Latvian footballers are meeting with Montenegro today in a friendly match.
The match between the Montenegrin and Latvian national football teams in Podgorica will start at 8 pm Latvian time.
The match between the two units in Montenegro was already scheduled for March 26 this year, but due to the Covid-10 pandemic, it did not happen.
The match favorite will be Montenegro. It both occupies a higher place in the world ranking – 63rd place against Latvia’s 137th place, and also plays in the highest group of the League of Nations. While Latvia is fighting in the lower D league, the Montenegrins are in the C league. In addition, unlike Latvia, which ranks second in the four-team competition with two draws in the dwarf countries, Montenegro has celebrated two victories in the first group of League C and ranks first.
In the last three games, both opponents have not lost, but Montenegro has celebrated three victories, defeating Belarus in the test match in Podgorica with 2: 0 and in the matches of the Nations in the away games with a 2: 0 victory in Cyprus and with a 2: 1 victory in Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, last autumn in the last qualifying match of the European Championship in its field, which no longer decided anything, Latvia defeated the experimental line-up of the Austrian team 1: 0, but this autumn in the matches of the League of Nations failed to beat Andorra in its field (0: 0) and Malta (1: 1). .
So far, the teams have met once. In August 2012, Montenegro won the friendly match 2: 0. The 36th minute was still scored by the still standing captain of the team and the best goal scorer of all time Stevans Jovetičs, but in the 76th minute the goal was scored by Filips Kasaļica, who came on the field in the second half.
Among the current candidates for the Latvian national team in 2012, midfielder Artūrs Zjuzins played in a match with the Montenegrins, but Ritvars Rugins (“Riga”) went on the pitch.
Defender Kaspars Dubra from the Ukrainian team “Oleksandriya”, who had a positive Covid-19 test just before leaving for the field, will not be able to help Latvia.
Also, defender Antonijs Chernomordijs did not go to Montenegro from “Riga” due to injury.
The Latvian national team has had limited preparation time. Eight people could train in the first national team training, in the second – 17, but on the third Tuesday in Montenegro the team was already close to full composition.
Latvian national football team On October 7, Podgorica will play a test match with Montenegro, on October 10, he will visit the Faroe Islands in the UEFA League of Nations, and three days later he will host Malta on his field within the same tournament.
The Latvians in the first group of UEFA Nations League D played a draw with Andorra 0: 0 at home in September and fought 1: 1 with Malta in the away team.
After two games, the group is led by the Faroe Islands with six points, Latvia has two points, and Andorra and Malta have scored one each.
The winner of the first group of the League of Nations D will secure a place in the C league of the next season or in the third level by force. The weakest national teams play in the D league.
The last games of the League of Nations are scheduled for Latvia in November.
Candidates for the Latvian men’s football team for the October games:
goalkeepers – Pavel Steinbor (Belastok “Jagiellonia”, Poland), Roberts Ozols (“Riga”), Dāvis Ošs (Jūrmala “Spartaks”);
defenders – Igors Tarasovs (Kuopio “Palloseura”, Finland), Elvis Stuglis, Ritvars Rugins (both – “Riga”), Roberts Savaļnieks, Vladislavs Sorokins (both – RFS), Mārcis Ošs (“Lugano”, Switzerland), Krišs Kārkliņš ( “Valmiera”), Raivis Jurkovskis (“Liepāja”) ‘;
midfielders – Artūrs Zjuzins, Jānis Ikaunieks (both – RFS), Eduards Emsis (“Noah”, Armenia), Andrejs Cigaņiks (Luhansk “Zorja”, Ukraine), Vladislav Fyodorov (“Riga”), Alvis Jaunzems (“Valmiera”), Gļebs Kļuškins (Marijampole “Sūduva”, Lithuania), Eduards Tīdenbergs, Mārtiņš Ķigurs (both – “Liepāja”), Kristers Tobers (Gdańsk “Lechia”, Poland), Daniels Ontužāns (Munich “Bayern”, Germany);
attackers – Vladislav Gutkowski (Czestochowa Rakow, Poland), Robert Uldrik (Sion, Switzerland), Dāvis Ikaunieks (Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic), Raimonds Krollis (Metta).
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