FK Liepaja hosts Norrkoping in the second leg of the Europa League qualification quarterfinals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 1st at Daugavas stadions (Liepaja)
After excellent matches with Dinamo from Minsk, where Liepaja was a clear underdog, the Latvians failed in the next qualifying round of the Europa League, and their attack was disappointing. If the players of Liepaja were actively moving forward in matches with the team from Belarus, they played passively in the attack in Norrkoping. The Latvians performed especially depressed actions in the 2nd half when it was necessary to win back.
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Norrkoping gained an absolutely deserved victory in the 1st match with the Latvians. Yes, it was not without luck (the Swedes scored already in the very debut of the meeting); however, after the early goal, Norrkoping acted much more dangerous in the attack. And most importantly, the Swedes worked in the defense reliably, almost without allowing anything near their penalty area. As a result, the Swedes go to Latvia, having a comfortable advantage.
A clean sheet in the home game is an excellent result for the Swedes before the return game. Nevertheless, it’s too early to relax. Of course, there is a temptation to score a goal (then the opponent will have to answer with 4 goals), but Norrkoping will not open the game. Gustafsson is a pragmatist, and he will most likely rely on defense. And the coach carefully looked at the matches of Liepaja with Dinamo, so he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the Minsk natives. That is, the game will not be open. Fortunately, Norrkoping works reliably in defense. The team had problems at the start of the season, but Gustafsson adjusted the game gradually. In the last official matches, his players managed to keep a clean sheet. Even in the away match with Goteborg, Norrkoping successfully neutralized the opponent's attack. I believe that Norrkoping can cope with Liepaja’s attack again. Their rival is extremely unstable and gained only 8 wins in the past 20 matches even within the framework of the Latvian Championship. And it scored only 23 goals. I do not think that the Latvians will cope with Norrkoping.
Prediction for the match: Norrkoping to win with +0.5 handicap and Under 3.5 goals scored
