Latvia striker Valerijs Sabala. (Photo : Getty Images)
A tough match between two lower-ranked but surprising teams Latvia (1-0-0, 3 points) and Faroe Islands (0-0-1, 1 point) is scheduled on Oct. 7, Friday at the Skonto Stadium in the Latvian capital city of Riga as the 2018 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifying tournament moves forward.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 9:45 p.m. UTC+3. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Latvia is ranked 95th in the world by FIFA at the moment. The team nipped 203rd Andorra, 1-0, on the road at the Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella on Sep. 6 to begin their Group B campaign on a winning note, as per Soccerway.
Dunajska Streda striker Valerijs Sabala netted the lone goal of the match at the 48th minute to give head coach Marians Pahars' side their first three points of the tourney right in their opening game.
The Red-white-reds will look to make it two wins in a row as they face another lower-ranked squad in the Faroe Islands.
Sabala is expected to head the squad's 4-1-4-1 formation as the center-forward with Janis Ikaunieks and Arturs Zjuzins behind him while Davis Ikaunieks and Aleksejs Visnakovs are in the wings.
The team's midfield will be manned by Artis Lazdins while the backfield will be starred by Vladislavs Gabovs, Vitalijs Jagodinskis, Vitalijs Maksimenko, and team captain Kaspars Gorkss.
Meanwhile, the Landsliðið, currently ranked 111th in the world, pulled off a stunning 0-0 draw with 20th-ranked Hungary at their home stadium of Tórsvøllur in the country's capital city of Tórshavn also on Sep. 6, ESPN reported.
Danish Superliga stars Jóan Símun Edmundsson and Brandur Hendriksson Olsen are head coach Lars Olsen's main attackers and are expected to once again start for the Faroe Islands.
The midfield will be manned by Sølvi Vatnhamar, vice-captain Fróði Benjaminsen, Hallur Hansson, and René Shaki Joensen, the last two also from the Danish domestic top flight.
On defense, the expected starting backfield crew is composed of team captain Atli Gregersen together with Bárður Hansen, Sonni Ragnar Nattestad, Jóhan Troest Davidsen, and goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 1-0 win for Latvia.
Latvia starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Vanins; Gabovs, Jagodinskis, Gorkss, Maksimenko; Lazdins; Visnakovs, Zjuzins, J. Ikaunieks, D. Ikaunieks; Sabala
Faroe Islands starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Nielsen; Hansen, Gregersen, Nattestad, Davidsen; Vatnhamar, Benjaminsen, Hansson, Joensen; Olsen, Edmundsson
