The battle of the bottom of Group D commences when Latvia welcome Wales to Riga and hope to claim their first 3 points of the campaign. Wales, who would expect to be much more comfortable at this stage, need to press on if they are to qualify for the European Championship.
Key Takeaways
· Latvia lost their last qualifier against 2nd placed Croatia on Friday 5-0.
· Wales are also coming off the back of a defeat, a 2-0 loss to current group leaders, Turkey
· Latvia has without a win so far in this qualification round
Neither side has had a qualification round worthy of writing home about, but with the two sides both looking for and needing a win, there is a chance for goals galore in this fixture.
Latvia Form
Dainis Kazakevics is tasked with motivating his side and country as they have lost all of their opening 4 games in Group D.
Before the 5-0 demolition at the hands of Croatia, they did have positive showings however against Armenia in a 2-1 defeat and managed to find the net twice against Turkey despite being reduced to ten men.
Wales Form
A very welcome point away at Croatia gave Rob Page’s side high hopes for the qualifying campaign, as did their 1-0 win over tomorrow's opponents a matter of days later.
That initial hope was dashed against the rocks however, when they lost 4-2 to surprise package Armenia and then tasted defeat again when they faced current group leaders, Turkey, losing 2-0.
Head-to-Head
The two sides have met twice in their history, on both of those occasions, Wales have come away victorious and Latvia have failed to even find the net.
Team News
The hosts will set up without their traditional forward line-up consisting of Vladislavs Gutkovskis and Arturs Zjuzins who have 20 goals between them.
Veteran goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors has withdrawn from the squad this week and left-back Rivis Jurkovskis is injured and unavailable.
Wales squad selection has been brave, as Rob Page has decided to omit tricky winger Daniel James from selection this time around and has also not called up exciting prospect Rubin Colwill.
Luton Towns Tom Lockyer is also unavailable in defence due to injury purposes, aside from him, Wales have a clean bill of health.
Key Players
Having scored his first international goal against Turkey, there is a buzz in the air about recently-crowned captain Kristers Tobers, the 22-year-old has proven that he is capable of thriving in the big games.
Following his high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur, much will be expected of Brennan Johnson. The forward's success in the Premier League last season was a key factor in his previous team, Nottingham Forests, survival from relegation. His combination play with the towering Keiffer Moore will be crucial as they look to get back to goalscoring ways.
How to watch on TV or online
This game will be available to UK viewers through BBC iPlayer.
Final Thoughts
The two teams are in desperate need of a pick-me-up, and if Wales are to qualify they need to have a perfect campaign from here on out. Latvia may lack the teeth to seriously hurt Wales and could end up outscored.