TFT Issue 76!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
FC Jurmala vs Daugava Daugavpils – away win at 4/5.
Today’s featured game is the Virsliga encounter between newly-promoted FC Jurmala (not to be confused with FK Jurmala!) and Daugava Daugavpils. The hosts have produced low-scoring affairs thus far whereas opponents Daugava are notorious for producing that kind of display anyway so expect a low-scoring affair here.
FC Jurmala may not be easy to beat in Latvia but they’re certainly not a goalscoring side either. A 1-1 draw with Jelgava being followed up by a 1-0 defeat at giants Liepajas Metalurgs leaves the newly-promoted outfit floundering as they know they need goals to survive in the Virsliga. Their team is a little on the young side and it’s no surprise at all that their most experienced area of the team is their defence as it’s their strongest area. They’ve got a couple of decent players ala Belov in midfield and Danilovs in attack but they’re not a side that concern me at the moment.
I actually really like Daugava Daugavpils, which helps a lot here. they’re not a flambuoyant side like Skonto Riga or FK Ventspils. No, they’re a defensive unit that will cling onto leads for dear life as their strength is massively in defence. They’re not an adventurous or goalscoring side whatsoever but they are a compact unit that is very hard to break down, even for the Virsliga heavyweights. However, they’re absolutely a top four side in Latvia, irrespective of their unadventurous nature due to their ability to hold leads and that makes them a dangerous side, especially against a low-scoring team like Jurmala.
Daugava aren’t the finished article by any stretch of the imagniation. However, they’re certainly not far from it either and they generally only need a goal to win a game due to their defensive strength. FC Jurmala aren’t a terrible side but their lack of goals is going to make life in the Virsliga very hard for them, especially in games like this. Therefore, my call is the away win at 4/5 for a frankly superior Daugava side.
Verdict: Daugava Daugavpils to win at 4/5.