Armenia vs Latvia Prediction: 7/9/2024

In the previous edition of the Nations League B, Armenia struggled to compete with stronger teams like Scotland, Ukraine, and Ireland, resulting in their relegation to League C for the current campaign. After this demotion, Armenia participated in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, where they performed respectably, securing 8 points from 8 matches.

This effort placed them behind Turkey, Croatia, and Wales, but ahead of the last-placed team, Latvia. Since the beginning of 2024, Armenia has played several friendlies, losing to Kosovo (0-1), Czechia (1-2), and Slovenia (1-2), while earning a 2-1 victory over Kazakhstan at home in June.

Latvia, meanwhile, earned promotion to League C after topping their Nations League D group, which included Moldova, Andorra, and Liechtenstein. However, Latvia struggled in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, finishing last in Group D with only 3 points from 8 matches, behind Turkey, Croatia, Wales, and Armenia. In June, Latvia suffered a 2-0 loss to Lithuania but bounced back with a 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands in the Baltic Cup.

For Armenia, several key players will be missing due to injuries, including defender Hovhannes Hambardzumyan (Noah) and midfielder Artak Grigoryan (Farul Constanta). Additionally, rising defender Hakobyan (Valencia) and striker Sargis Adamyan (Cologne) were not called up.

However, forward Grant-Leon Ranos (Monchengladbach), who has scored 4 goals in 11 games, is expected to lead the attack, supported by midfield talents such as Bichakhchyan (Pogon) and Spertsyan (Krasnodar). Defenders Mkrtchyan (Osijek) and Arutyunyan (Krasnodar) are also seen as key players for the future of the team.

In contrast, Latvia’s squad is composed of relatively unknown players, with none currently playing in major European leagues. A standout player is midfielder Kristers Tobers (Grasshoppers), who, despite being only 23 years old, already serves as the team’s captain. In attack, Latvia will rely on Janis Ikaunieks (RFS), Roberts Uldrikis (Athens Kallithea), Vladislavs Gutkovskis (Daejon Hana Citizen), and Raimonds Krollis (Trieste) as their primary threats, although the offensive lineup does not appear particularly intimidating.

 

Prediction

With 15 of Armenia’s last 21 home matches in the UEFA Nations League featuring two or fewer goals, and 10 of Latvia’s most recent 15 top-tier games also seeing limited scoring, a low-scoring encounter is expected when these two teams face off.

Prediction: Armenia 1-0 Latvia