Latvia’s national football team will play its first match of the year on Thursday night, squaring up for a place in the UEFA Nations League C away against Gibraltar.
After a disappointing run of results, the position of national team head coach Paolo Nicolato is likely at stake pver the two-leg contest. A victory in the play-offs will allow him to continue working with the national team, but a loss would likely mean the termination of his contract, according to pundits canvassed by Latvian Television.
After 20 games in charge, Nicolato has a record of 10 losses, 7 draws and 3 victories. But it has been a mixed bag – some of the draws should have been wins, some of the defeats could have been draws.
Against better teams, Latvia has sometimes played well in a losing cause, while against lesser teams the performances have been poorer – draws with the Faroe Islands and Andorra will stick long in the memories of Latvia’s long-suffering fans, as will a 5-0 mauling by England, at home, late at night, in driving rain, that must rank as one of the most depressing football experiences of many who were in the uncovered Daugava Stadium to witness it.
Nicolato’s teams have generally been well organized at the back and competent in midfield but a lack of goals has been a serious problem – and given the limited resources available to the Italian coach, it is perhaps hard to place too much blame on him for his few available strikers’ inability to find the net as often as necessary.
Live coverage is being provided on LTV and here on LSM, with pre-game chat from 18:20 Rīga time and the match itself kicking off at 19:00.
The second leg will be played in Rīga next Tuesday night with the winner securing future Nations League participation. Latvia is currently ranked 139th in the world and Gibraltar 202nd.
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