- Team form: Riga FC are unbeaten in 4 home matches across all competitions (W3, D1).
- Away form: Kairat Almaty have won 2 and lost 3 of their 5 away matches across all competitions, averaging 1.00 goals per game scored and conceded.
- Recent form: Riga FC are 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in their last 5 matches and have won their last 3 consecutively.
Tight game expected at Skonto Stadium
Riga FC are the slight favorites with the bookmakers for Thursday's UEFA Conference League – League Stage 2026-2027 at Skonto Stadium, but the value could be with the visitors here.
The Latvian champions are 1.9, while Kairat Almaty are 3.8 to get the better of the hosts and the draw is a massive 3.55. The market seems to favour the home side a little too much for our tastes, so we're looking for a safer play and a look at the other angles suggests Under 2.5 goals at 1.8 and Both Teams To Score – No at 1.87 should both land when two solid defensive sides meet in what is likely to be a tense battle.
Both sides capable of a professional display
Riga profile:
Adrián Guľa's Riga FC side are a fast, ball-dominant team that play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 that pushes wide and presses high to recover the ball back quickly. Riga FC are 5-4-1 in their last 10 across all competitions, a solid run that indicates consistency is the key to their success.
Kairat form:
Kairat are a little more streaky – 4-6 across their last 10 in all contests – and are in mixed form with three wins and two defeats in their last five. However, the momentum seems to have changed with back-to-back losses coming into this clash after a 3-0 home win over Zhenys was followed by a 4-1 home loss to Tobol Kostanay and a 1-0 away defeat to FC Astana.
Riga can edge a low-scoring affair
Rafael Urazbakhtin sets Kairat Almaty up in a compact and pragmatic system that is happy to sit deep and counter with control. Riga are the more reliable side, so we're going with the home win in this game, but we also expect it to be low-scoring as the visitors will surely put up a professional performance.
- Riga have averaged 2.25 goals per game at home across the last 4 matches, but have also conceded 1.00, so under 2.5 goals should be the preferred play on the goals markets.
- A goal drought is more likely than a goal barrage in this one, so we're also taking the Both Teams To Score-No option.
- Marc Gual is the in-form player for Kairat Almaty with three goals in his last five games, but we're expecting a cagey affair in Latvia so a single strike could be enough for Kairat, who will undoubtedly be licking their wounds from their latest defeat to Astana.
