Latvia are set to face Gibraltar at the Skonto Stadium for the second leg of their UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation playoff tie on Tuesday.
Latvia secured a narrow 1-0 victory in Gibraltar during the first leg, giving them an advantage heading into the home match.
After winning promotion in the 2022-23 Nations League, Latvia are aiming to avoid being relegated back to League D.
Latvia’s Path to the Playoff
Latvia ended up in the promotion/relegation playoffs after collecting only four points from six matches. This result placed them at the bottom of a group featuring North Macedonia, Armenia, and the Faroe Islands.
The World Cup qualifying campaign caused a delay between the end of the Nations League group stage and the start of the playoffs.
In their World Cup qualifying bid, Paolo Nicolato’s team managed one win, two draws, and five losses. This resulted in a fourth-place finish in their group, where England finished first and Albania secured a playoff spot.
Despite being ranked 139th globally, Latvia are expected to win their Nations League playoff against Gibraltar, especially with their 1-0 lead from the first leg, thanks to Vladislavs Gutkovskis’ penalty.
Latvia have won each of their three previous matches against Gibraltar. This includes a 3-1 victory in their most recent home game against Gibraltar in September 2021.
Gibraltar Seek to Overturn Deficit
Gibraltar, after being relegated from League C in 2022-23, need to overturn the deficit from the first leg to achieve promotion at the first attempt.
Gibraltar missed automatic promotion by one point behind San Marino, despite a 1-0 home victory against them.
A 1-1 draw in San Marino and draws both home and away against Liechtenstein proved costly in their automatic promotion hopes.
The team, ranked 202nd globally, had an unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, losing all eight matches. They finished at the bottom of a group including Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Faroe Islands, and Montenegro.
The narrow defeat to Latvia marked Gibraltar’s 11th consecutive defeat since a 1-1 draw with Moldova in November 2011.
The visitors hope to secure their first win over Latvia since March 2013, when they won a friendly 1-0.
Team Form and Potential Lineups
Latvia form (all competitions):
Gibraltar form (all competitions):
Provided there are no new injury concerns, Nicolato may choose to keep the same Latvia team that started the first leg in Gibraltar.
That would see the hosts line up with a back three of Daniels Balodis, Antonijs Cernomordijs and