Who Are The Latvians

As Aberdeen prepare for their first match in a European tournament since 2009, in the build up to the game it would appear very little of us seem to know much about the Dons' opponents, Daugava Riga. Here we have a look at them.

First of all, let's make it clear that Aberdeen are odds on favourites to win the match on Thursday evening and it will be something more than a serious shock if the Latvian side can emerge from Pittodrie victorious. Aberdeen are currently 1/20 to beat Daugava. For those of you who are not engrossed in the world of betting, these are odds which are balanced very heavily in Aberdeen's favour.

The club was founded in 2003 origonaly under the name FK Jurmala. That name was then changed to FK Jurmala-vv in 2010. As recently as 2012 the club then changed its name again following its change of location to Riga, now playing and functioning under the current name of Daugava Riga. For the first time ever in the history of the club, on Thursday Daugava Riga will taste European competition.

At the moment Duagava Riga are half way through their domestic league season and according to many, this could be the only advantage they have over the Granite city team. They currently sit in seventh place in the "Virsliga" after 19 games played. Their previous two games consisted of a recent 1-0 win over Daugavpils and  crushing 5-1 defeat to Skonto Riga. They are not having the best of seasons and in Scotland we would say "On course for a bottom six finish" although it is only a ten team league...

Their squad is dotted with several Lithuanian players who, arguably are their key men. Mantas Savenas is their captain and most experienced player and is also one of the many Lithuanian players who are currently playing for Daugava Riga. Him and Deniss Kocanovs will be who the Latvians will turn to if the going gets tough at Pittodrie as they are proven leaders on and off the pitch. The rest of the squad is barely known.

It is likely the Latvians will arrive at Pittodrie and pitch their tents up inside their own half with no intention of leaving. There is no doubt a defensive approach will be adopted by manager Liubsys on his trip to Scotland hoping for one chance to come their way during the course of the 90 minutes.

Aberdeen are not expected to be troubled by Daugava come Thursday evening, but this is football and football can throw a lot of surprises at you, even for the veteran fans.If Aberdeen reach the levels of performance they have shown they can reach last season Daugava should be blown off the park and the tie should be all but done even with the second leg still to come. However complacency will not be an option for Derek McInnes and he will treat the Latvian side with the utmost respect by instilling that winning mentality into the players as ever.

On the return leg Aberdeen fans well you could say shocked, but some of the grounds in Scotland are well... leave a lot to be desired. Just as Daugava Riga's stadium does. It is forbidden from hosting any International matches of any kind due to its unsafe state, as it needs to undergo renovation. The ground has only a single stand and that holds just over 5,000. If the Dons travel in numbers then the ground should near capacity come match day.

Now with a clearer understanding of this Latvian side, the same applies to every game. COME ON YOU REDS!