It’s not often Derry faces a side younger than every member of the squad but Riga FC was founded on April 2014 after a merger between FC Caramba Riga and Dinamo Riga.
They have no shortage of European experience, however, having reached the play-offs for the Europa League group stages where they were knocked out by Copenhagen in 2019.
Celtic needed a stoppage time winner to see off the Latvians in a one-legged third round qualifier in 2020. Of course Dundalk put Riga out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2019 after a penalty shootout following two scoreless draws.
Riga coach Kristaps Blanks, who played for Skonto Riga against Derry City when the Candy Stripes put them out of the Uefa Cup qualifiers in 2009, told the Journal this week how it’s the club’s mission to reach the group stages of the competition.
Sitting in third place in the Latvian Virsloga table nine points behind leaders Valmieras, Riga come into tonight’s match following a goalless draw with FK Liepaja.
That followed a 2-0 home defeat against Valmieras, which saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end - a game City boss Ruaidhri Higgins watched from the stands in the Skonto Stadium.
The Riga team has Brazilians, Portuguese, Greeks, Senegalese, Ukranians, French, Finnish, Ghanaians and Congolese players amongst their ranks as well as several Latvian internationals including Latvia skipper Antonijs Černomordijs.
While there are several familiar faces among the Riga team, they are very much an unknown quantity but we’ve taken a look at some of the Latvian’s dangermen ahead of tonight’s clash.
1. Riga Dangermen
The Riga FC team got to train at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium yesterday for the first time. Photographs by Zigismunds Zalmanis, Riga FC
2. Yurii Kendysh
The midfielder was singled out as a dangerman by Derry City playmaker Patrick McEleney who played against the Belarussian when Dundalk played BATE Borisov in the Champions League third qualifying round in 2016. Kendysh, 32, has found the net five times from midfield this season and will be one to watch.
3. Mikael Soisalo
The Finnish winger was once on the books of Middlesbrough where he featured in the U23s before making a move to Belgium with Zulte Waregem. In his first season with Riga he netted 10 goals in 33 appearances and he offers an attacking threat from the wing. He scored a brace in a 4-1 win over Metta/LU at the end of May.
4. Gabriel Ramos
The 26 year-old Brazilian winger is a real danger for the Latvians. He’s played his football in his native Brazil, Georgia and Belarus before making his move to the Latvian capital. The ex-Flamengo youth has netted seven goals already this season from the wing.