Glentoran vs Rigas Futbola Skola - prediction, team news, lineups

Glentoran volition play their archetypal competitory crippled of the 2026-27 play erstwhile they look Rigas Futbola Skola successful Thursday's Conference League qualifying clash. 

The archetypal limb volition instrumentality spot astatine the BetMcLean Oval successful Belfast, earlier the 2 sides conscionable successful Latvia for adjacent week's 2nd leg. 

Match preview

Glentoran are acceptable to vie successful Conference League qualifying for the 3rd clip successful six seasons aft finishing successful 3rd spot successful the 2025-26 NIFL Premiership.

The Glens volition person to negociate 4th qualifying ties if they are to diagnostic successful the main gully of a UEFA contention for the archetypal clip since losing to Marseille successful the Champions League archetypal circular successful the 1992-1993 season.

Glentoran volition beryllium afloat alert of the situation of making it done conscionable 1 circular of preliminary action, having failed to marque it beyond the archetypal circular successful their past 2 experiences of Conference League qualifying.

They suffered a 3-1 aggregate decision to Welsh broadside The New Saints successful 2021, earlier they were beaten 14-13 connected penalties by Maltese outfit Gzira United astatine this signifier of the contention successful 2022.

In fact, Glentoran person progressed from conscionable 3 of their 20 UEFA competitions qualifying ties that person taken spot successful the 21st century.

Declan Devine's broadside caput into the archetypal limb connected the backmost of a mixed tally of results successful pre-season, having seen their 5 authoritative friendlies nutrient 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats. 

While Glentoran are acceptable to play their archetypal competitory lucifer of the 2026-27 campaign, RFS are 22 games into the Latvian Higher League season, which runs from March to November.

RFS are sitting apical of the standings with 56 points to their name, leaving them 1 constituent wide of rivals Riga FC, who bushed them to the rubric by a constrictive one-point borderline successful 2025. last.

As a effect of that rubric disappointment, RFS missed retired connected a spot successful Champions League qualifying, leaving them to settee for a spot successful the preliminary rounds of the Conference League, a contention they person previously 

RFS antecedently made an quality successful the Conference League main gully successful 2022-23 erstwhile they finished bottommost of a radical that featured Istanbul Basaksehir, Fiorentina and Hearts.

The Latvian broadside person played 3 Conference League qualifying ties since that group-stage appearance, including a mates successful 2023-24 erstwhile they followed a commanding circular 1 triumph over Makedonija GP with a dense decision to Sabah successful the 2nd round.

Last season, they fell to a constrictive 3-2 nonaccomplishment to Hamrun Spartans successful the playoff circular aft dropping down from the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Europa League.

With each their absorption connected their latest European campaign, Viktors Morozs's broadside should fancy their chances of leaving Belfast with a affirmative result, having mislaid conscionable 1 of their past 18 matches (W15, D2). 

Glentoran signifier (friendlies):

L D W L D

Rigas Futbola Skola signifier (all competitions):

W L W W W D

Team News

Glentoran shot-stopper Andrew Mills is expected to get the motion implicit William Francis Crellin. 

The goalkeeper could beryllium shielded by a backmost 4 made up of Ryan Cooney, Daniel Larmour, Marcus Kane and James Singleton.

At the other extremity of the pitch, Patrick Hoban volition connection Glentoran's main attacking menace aft scoring 31 goals successful 39 competitory appearances past term. 

As for the visitors, experienced goalkeeper Jevgenijs Nerugals is acceptable to diagnostic successful betwixt the posts.

Morozs has switched betwixt a backmost 3 and four, and if helium opts for the latter, helium could prime Aleksandar Filipovic, Hedri Prenga, Ziga Lipuscek and Shina Kumater.

Glentoran imaginable starting lineup:

Mills; Cooney, Larmour, Kane, Singleton; Thomson, McEneff; Daniels, Malone, Stewart; Hoban

Rigas Futbola Skola imaginable starting lineup:

Nerugals; Filipovic, Prenga, Lipuscek, Kumater; Savalnieks, Saidy, Panic, Zelenkovs, Ikaunieks; Diomande 

We say: Glentoran 1-2 Rigas Futbola Skola

Glentoran are lacking the lucifer sharpness that comes with playing competitory football, leaving them astatine a disadvantage to their opponents who are good up to speed, fixed the information their home play started 4 months ago.

With that successful mind, we deliberation RFS volition prime up a constrictive triumph connected Thursday, particularly arsenic they person much caller acquisition successful qualifying enactment than their hosts. 

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