2024-03-27 13:39:33
“Got to win!” Kaspars Dubra, one of the most hardened players of the Latvian national team, finished the press conference before the second test match under the leadership of the Italian coach Paolo Nicolato with a determined phrase. The team will end the ten-day training camp in Cyprus with a test match against Liechtenstein. Its live broadcast on Tuesday at 19:00 on TV6 channel.
Although it has been emphasized more than once before and during the match that the result on the scoreboard is not decisive in the first training camp under the leadership of Nicolato, one can understand the determination of the players and coaches. After all, in the last year and a half, the Latvian national team has won only one victory, and in addition, there have not been many opponents against whom objectively such a result should be demanded from the team. In the first part of the camp, the players failed to turn their advantage on the field into a victory over Cyprus (1:1). “I think that the Cypriot footballers are more skillful individually, but looking at the video analysis, the Lichtenstein team has also made efforts since our last match,” Dubra diplomatically commented on the strength of the opponents. Liechtenstein is second to last among European teams in the world rankings, they have lost 24 matches in a row and since October 2020 they have not won once in 36 matches. During this period, they also played twice against Latvia – in the 2022 Nations League tournament, when Artūrs Zjuzin’s goal ensured a 1:0 victory in Vaduz, and Vladislava Gutkovskis’ two goals made it possible to be superior in Riga with 2:0. Four days ago, Liechtenstein lost 0:4 to the Faroe Islands in a test match in Spain, against whom the Latvians are expected to play responsible games in the fall. In this convocation, the core of the opposing team is made up of representatives of local and lower Swiss league clubs. Potential team leaders – experienced midfielder Marcel Biechel (SPAL, Italian Serie C) and forward Denis Salanovič (YorkCanada).
From what the coaches said before the game, it is clear that Latvian football players will continue to polish the tactical scheme with three central defenders, which they managed to use quite successfully against Cyprus.
2024-03-27 13:39:33