Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Latviavs.Lithuania

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 June 2024, 00:11
Latvia and Lithuania will raise the curtain on the 2024 Baltic Cup on Saturday, when they square off in a semi-final in Riga.

The hosts reached the final of the last iteration of the competition in 2022, while their opponents have failed to advance from the semi-finals or prevail in the league format since losing in the 2014 final to Latvia.

Match preview

Latvia head into the 2024 Baltic Cup aiming to regain the trophy that they last won for a record 13th time in 2018.

That triumph made it four consecutive titles for the 11 Wolves, having got the better of Lithuania in the 2014 final before topping the group format of the competition in the following two campaigns.

They have failed to add to their trophy cabinets in the two attempts since, though, firstly finishing second in the 2020 league despite dishing out a 3-1 beating to Saturday's opponents in their meeting, before most recently reaching the final in 2022 with a penalty shootout victory over Estonia, only to fall at the final hurdle in another shootout in the final against Iceland after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

After a tough Euro 2024 qualifying campaign ended last year, with the 11 Wolves finishing bottom of their group with just three points from eight outings, they now return to action having played two games in 2024, meeting Cyprus and Liechtenstein in a pair of friendlies in March under the new management of Paolo Nicolato and playing out consecutive 1-1 draws, with Andrejs Ciganiks equalising late on against the former and Raimonds Krollis scoring an early leveller against the latter.

Now heading into their first competitive action under the new boss with the aim of ending a six-year wait for another trophy, Latvia will set out to again get the better of Saturday's opponents and book their place in the Baltic Cup final.

Their visitors, meanwhile, travel to Riga aiming to move within one game of bringing the trophy home for the first time since 2010, when they moved onto 10 Baltic Cup titles by pipping Saturday's hosts to top spot.

It has, however, been over 19 years since Lithuania prevailed in a match against Latvia in this competition, having lost six times and drawn twice since, most recently losing 3-1 in the 2020 league iteration, and most notably falling short in a 1-0 loss in the 2014 final in Liepaja.

On the competition's return to a knockout format in 2022, the Nacionaline komanda began their latest bid against Iceland on home turf, but they were unable to progress having fallen short in a penalty shootout to the eventual champions after playing out a goalless stalemate in 90 minutes.

Following a difficult Euro 2024 qualifying campaign of their own last year, their only action of the new year thus far has come in the UEFA Nations League in a two-legged tie with Gibraltar, and Edgaras Jankauskas's team maintained their standing in League C with a two-legged victory thanks to a pair of 1-0 wins, with Armandas Kucys scoring their goal away from home and Fedor Cernych doubling the aggregate lead in Kaunas.

Now returning to competitive action with their sights set on an 11th Baltic Cup title, Lithuania will bid to end their long wait for a triumph over Latvia on Saturday and prevail in Riga to advance to next week's final.

Latvia form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

D

D

Lithuania form (all competitions):

W

D

L

L

W

W

Team News

Latvia have a strong and experienced squad available for the 2024 Baltic Cup, and Paolo Nicolato certainly has options to choose from in attack.

Cambuur forward Roberts Uldrikis should continue to lead the line, having managed seven goals in 49 appearances in his international career, while Janis Ikaunieks, who tops the current squad with 12 goals, is bound to play a key role in a supporting trio.

Vladislavs Gutkovskis will also fight to start in the attack, while Aleksejs Saveļjevs should again join Kristers Tobers in the engine room.

Lithuania are without several key players in their squad from the last round of international fingers, with midfielders Vykintas Slivka, Ovidijus Verbickas and Donatas Kazlauskas missing out alongside defender Markas Beneta after all being called up for their UEFA Nations League tie against Gibraltar.

Young Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis and important defender Edgaras Utkus are also absent from the squad due to injuries, meaning Modestas Vorobjovas and Paulius Golubickas may get the nod to partner up in the centre, while Rokas Lekiatas and Pijus Servys may be joined by Edvinas Girdvainis in a back three.

In their anticipated 3-4-3 shape, Arvydas Novikovas and Fedor Cernych will continue to play important roles going forward, having scored 12 and 15 international goals respectively.

Latvia possible starting lineup:

Ozols; Savalnieks, Cernomordijs, Balodis, Ciganiks; Tobers, Saveļjevs; Gutkovskis, Ikaunieks, Daskevics; Ukdrikis

Lithuania possible starting lineup:

Gertmonas; Lekiatas, Girdvainis, Servys; Lasickas, Vorobjovas, Golubickas, Romanovskij; Novikovas, Paulauskas, Cernych

We say: Latvia 2-1 Lithuania

Previews by email

Top News

22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Willem II and NAC Breda in the Eredivisie table heading into Sunday's gameweek 13 meeting at Koning Willem II Stadion. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League football returns this weekend, with the final international break of 2024 now being completed. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish has revealed whether or not he would ever appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted he will remain Manchester City manager even if the club are relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim takes charge of his inaugural Manchester United match on Sunday afternoon, when his Red Devils side face Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is guaranteed to set a new club record in Saturday's Premier League home meeting with Nottingham Forest. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton boss Russell Martin has confirmed that both Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek will be sidelined for "a number of weeks". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alistair Johnston has claimed that he is "exactly where I want to be" as he enters the prime years of his career after signing a contract extension at Celtic until the summer of 2029. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ajax will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Eredivisie this weekend when they face off against PEC Zwolle at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League champions Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to strengthen their case for a top-six finish, Swansea City will welcome Premier League-chasing Leeds United to Swansea. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's hopes of claiming all three points against Leicester City may be tempered by the recent record following international windows. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi continues to break records while in the twilight of his career - but one stat has proved impossible for even him to top. 22 November 2024 talksport.com No list of all-time Premier League goals can be complete without Tony Yeboah's memorable screamer against Liverpool in August 1995. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town midfielder Kalvin Phillips is eligible to return from suspension for the Tractor Boys' Premier League showdown with Manchester United at Portman Road on Sunday. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Comments from Rodri about Vinicius Jr during an interview sparked a feisty response from Neymar on Instagram. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim could be working around a defensive selection crisis for his first Premier League match in charge against Ipswich Town on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City midfielder Rodri has seemingly opened the door to a future move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Premier League clubs are not renowned for their patience when firing managers, and we've already had our first sacking of 2024/25. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Returning to the Roma hotseat for a third spell in charge, Claudio Ranieri will lead the Giallorossi into Sunday's Serie A showdown with Napoli. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has conceded that Ben White is likely to be out for months rather than weeks after undergoing an operation on his knee. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal expert Charles Watts believes that Gunners new boy Mikel Merino has been "unfairly judged" on some of his performances so far in the 2024-25 campaign. 22 November 2024 talksport.com What would you do if you first big break in football came with your fierce rivals? 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of the most unlikely matchups we could have anticipated heading into the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs will transpire on Sunday as Orlando City face Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semi-finals at Inter & Co Stadium. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano is set to be the new head coach of Inter Miami, according to reports. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both aiming to kick-start their Premier League campaigns after stalling before the international break, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace convene at Villa Park on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sean Dyche will look to extend his 100% record over Thomas Frank as Everton manager, when Brentford visit Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fourth meets fifth in Saturday's fascinating Premier League battle at the Emirates, as Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to the English capital. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking a fifth win from six Premier League home games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth host the Seagulls in Saturday's top-flight affair at the Vitality Stadium.