Valmiera take on the visitors Partizani in the first leg of UEFA Conference League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 10th at Skonto stadions (Riga).
Valmiera claimed their debut championship title last year. The Black and Whites will only be celebrating their 30th anniversary next year. Nevertheless, in Latvian football, this is a substantial period, although it took them until recent years to achieve success. In 2020, the team won the bronze, and in each subsequent season, they climbed up one step, culminating in the championship victory in 2022. By the way, in the Virsliga, there is a duopoly of the capital's giants, RFK and Riga FC, and the best one can hope for is the 3rd position. However, there is finally something to add to their European cup record. After being eliminated by opponents four times in a row, including an exit against Olimpija (Ljubljana) within the Champions League qualification this year, they dominated Tre Penne in the Conference League with scores of 3-0 and 7-0.
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Partizani often achieves success, but only within Albania. The Red Bulls were established in 1946 and won their first title already in the next year. It can't be said that they consistently outperformed everyone, but they did regularly secure championship titles. This was the case last season as well, marking their 17th title in history and the first in 4 years. However, their performance in European competitions hasn't been consistently impressive. In this context, their summer should be considered a success - while they were immediately eliminated by BATE in the Champions League, despite the latter not being able to play at home, they defeated Athletic Escaldes twice in a less prestigious tournament, with an impressive 4-1 victory in Tirana.
This is the first encounter between the two teams. The Baltic team is not favored even on their home ground. However, they might at least manage not to lose.
Prediction for the match: Valmiera not to lose (1X).
