The Latvian side recorded a double win over Shakhtyor Soligorsk to reach the Europa League 3rd qualifying round, but they could now face a tough task against former Champions Cup winners Red Star. The Serbian side look much stronger than last term and they have big ambitions in Europe this season.

Big smile from the Lady Luck

Ventspils are widely regarded as one of the biggest teams in Latvia, alongside Skoto Riga and after winning three successive league titles from 2006 to 2008, they had to settle for 2nd-place finishes over the last two years. Sergei Podpaly’s side currently sit in third place, following the dismal run of three defeats and one draw in last four matches, so it is perfectly clear that the team are going through a rough patch at the moment. Ventspils did manage to eliminate Belarus side Shaktyor Soligorsk in the 2nd round, but the Latvians were very lucky to win the tie having been outplayed by their opponents in both games. Realizing that a cautious approach was responsible for the under-par performances against Shakhtyor, coach Podpaly has announced that he will revert to formation with two strikers and that could leave the visitors a lot of space to exploit. Last season, Ventspils were eliminated from Europa League at the first hurdle, having lost to FYR Macedonian side Teteks 3:1 on aggregate.

Eduard Sukhanov is suspended after seeing red against Shakhtyor, while Mvondo Maki should return to the starting line-up after bagging a brace in the same match.

Red Star brimming with confidence

Former Champions Cup winners Red Star haven’t had a lot of success over the last few years, having now gone four years without winning the league title. However, everybody at the club are determined to turn things around and this could be their breakthrough season. After club legend Robert Prosinecki took over the reigns, the team have shown a lot of potential and they now look ready for an assault on the Europa League group stages. The arrival of Nenad Kovacevic (Lens), Bruno Mezenga (Flamengo), Milos Dimitrijevic (spent last season on loan at Chievo), Uros Cosic (CSKA Moscow) and Brazilian Evandro has really improved the quality of the squad, and Red Star now look like a very good side. The team played really well in pre-season, beating Mattersburg, Slovacko and Ashdod among others and they look fully prepared for what awaits them in Latvia.

The visitors have major problem in defence as Milan Vilotic, Lee Addy, Danijel Mihajlovic and Uros Cosic are all unavailable, meaning that left-back Tosic and young midfielder Mijailovic will form the centre-back pairing.

Verdict

Ventspils seem to be completely out of form and after their poor showings against Shaktyor, I really doubt they can show a massive improvement in this clash. Red Star, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence after several impressive performances in pre-season and I can see them winning this game.

Our prediction: Away win

Odds: 2.00 (1/1)

Bookmaker: Stan James