After a one-sided first leg in Norway last week, Rigas Futbola Skola and Bodo/Glimt will resume their Champions League second qualifying round tie in the second leg at LNK Sporta Parks on Wednesday evening.
This week's hosts were completely outplayed in the first match between these sides and now have a mountain to climb, needing four unanswered goals to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Match preview
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Rigas won their second league championship in history last season, narrowly edging out their main rival Riga FC, and they are enjoying another solid domestic campaign this term, currently leading the Virsliga standings by four points.
RFS earned their opportunity to play Bodo/Glimt by defeating Northern Ireland's Larne with a resounding 7-0 aggregate, which included a 3-0 home victory and a 4-0 away win in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
However, they were no match for the Norwegians last week and were on the back foot from the first whistle, conceding their first goal of the evening in under 120 seconds, and it was all downhill from then on.
By the interval, Viktor Moroz's side were three goals down and struggled to create any real clear-cut chances in the second period. That result was the only defeat the Latvian outfit have conceded in their last 16 matches in all competitions.
At home, Rigas are on a four-match winning streak and unbeaten in their last 12 games in all competitions. However, despite their excellent record, it is difficult to see them overturn this massive deficit based on their performance last week.
Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt are enjoying another impressive league campaign, currently leading the Eliteserien standings by six points, though they have played a game more than second-placed Viking.
The Yellow Horde are competing in their third Champions League qualifying campaign in their history, with their best performance coming in the 2022-23 season, when they reached the final playoff stage but were narrowly defeated in extra time by Dinamo Zagreb.
Kjetil Knutsen's side advanced from their Conference League group last season, which included Brugge, Besiktas and Lugano, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Dutch giants Ajax.
Last week, August Mikkelsen opened and completed the scoring in the rout while, Ulrik Saltnes and Oscar Kapskarmo also got their names on the scoresheet in between the talented 23-year-old's brace.
The visitors are on a three-match winning streak in away games and unbeaten in their last seven. Given their lead in the tie, Bodo are massive favourites to advance to the next round, where they are likely to face Jagiellonia Bialystok, who hold a four-goal advantage over Panevezys.
Team News
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RFS will be unable to call upon two players for this second-leg encounter, including long-term absentee Alfusainey Jatta and Roberts Savalnieks, both of whom are ruled out due to injury.
Emerson Deocleciano lasted just nine minutes in the first leg before being withdrawn with a knock and he is flagged as a doubt this week. Cedric Kouadio is the most likely to replace Deocleciano in the starting 11.
Bodo/Glimt, on the other hand, have a number of players currently unavailable due to injury, including Omar Elabdellaoui, Runar Espejord and Syver Skeide, all of who have not played a match since January.
Sondre Sorli, Daniel Bassi and Nino Zugelj are out until next month, while Brice Wembangomo pulled a hamstring last week and is unlikely to be back in time for kickoff in this leg.
Rigas Futbola Skola possible starting lineup:
Ondoa; Balodis, Prenga, Lipuscek, Mares; Panic, Markhiev; Ikaunieks, Kigurs, Kouadio; Diomande
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Khaikin; Wembangomo, Moe, Gundersen, Bjorkan; Saltnes, Berg, Evjen; Sjovold, Kapskarmo, Mikkelsen
We say: Rigas Futbola Skola 1-3 Bodo/Glimt
Bodo/Glimt were far too good for RFS at home last week and we feel they will book their place in the third round of qualifying with another commanding victory in the second leg of this tie.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
