Armenia vs Latvia

The stakes are at the ultimate high as Armenia and Latvia go head-to-head in an all-Soviet Euro 2024 qualifier at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium.

Armenia surprised everyone by beating Wales 4-2 in the European Championship qualification match in Cardiff last weekend. This victory was significant because it was Armenia’s first qualification win of any kind since Henrikh Mkhitaryan retired in March 2022. The Armenians now believe they have a good chance of improving their previous best Euro qualifying finish of third place in 2011/12 and making it to the Euro finals for the first time. The hosts narrowly missed the play-offs in the previous Euro 2012 qualification campaign by four points. Therefore, it is crucial for them to start strong in their home matches this time to maintain a positive atmosphere. Despite Armenia’s recent competitive game in Yerevan resulting in a 1-2 loss against Turkey after taking an early lead, it’s worth noting that they have only failed to score once in five European Championship qualification rounds at home.

On the other hand, since their surprising participation in Euro 2004, Latvia’s success in Euro qualification has diminished as far as the post-Soviet era is concerned. Over the nearly two-decade period, many things have changed for the visitors. In an unfortunate turn of events, the team they defeated in the qualification play-offs for that tournament, Turkey, scored a late goal at the weekend, leading to a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in Latvia. As a result, Dainis Kazakevic’s men remain without any points in Group D, losing both outings by a single-goal margin. Worryingly, that result was Latvia’s 12th defeat in 13 European Championship qualification matches since October 2015. It is becoming evident that the Baltic team is on track to finish at the bottom of the group again.