Latvian champions Riga FC know they must overturn a 1-0 deficit when Swedish outfit Malmo FF visit Skonto Stadium on Tuesday.
The two sides meet for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier, with Malmo holding the upper hand after the first leg.
Antonio Colaks avslut på ett tillslag gav oss segern när Europakvalet drog igång!— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) July 8, 2021
Antonio Colaks avslut på ett tillslag gav oss segern när Europakvalet drog igång!
Antonio Colak scored the only goal of the game last week, although Riga played 50 minutes with ten men following Yunusa Muritala’s first-half red card.
As it turned out, Malmo ended up seeing 65% possession and recording 22 shots, while Riga only managed to register one attempt.
Including domestic encounters, Riga FC have now lost three of their previous five games, picking up two wins along the way.
Riga currently sit second in the Latvian top-flight – two points behind first-place RFS and level on 32 points with third-place Valmieras.
With a record of ten wins, two draw and four losses this season, Riga could struggle to defend their domestic title.
It is worth pointing out that Riga have been involved in a series of low-scoring matches of late, with four of their previous six games producing exactly one goal.
On the flip side, Malmo FF head into the second leg on the back of a thumping 4-0 victory over Sirius in the Swedish top tier.
Malmo find themselves atop the Allsvenskan standings, having recorded seven wins, two draws and two defeats this term.
With 26 goals in 11 matches (2.4 goals per game), Malmo are the top scorers in Sweden’s top-flight by a considerable margin.
However, they have also conceded 16 goals, meaning they have one of the worst defensive records in the division.
Interestingly, Malmo have not drawn any of their previous ten games in all competitions (seven wins, three defeats).
Head-to-head: Riga and Malmo met for the very first time in competitive action last week, meaning we only have one previous game to assess.
It’s fair to say that Malmo completely dominated the first leg, although ten-man Riga did well to limit the damage.
Team news: Riga will be without Yunusa Muritala through suspension on Tuesday after the forward picked up a red card in the first leg.
As for Malmo, they will be without veteran attacking midfielder Ola Toivonen as the 35-year-old continues to recover from a knee injury.
Having dominated the first leg, Malmo look set to complete the job on Tuesday and progress to the next stage.
Forebet predicts that Malmo will secure a low-scoring victory in Riga, keeping a clean sheet in the process.