- Vardar have won four of their last five matches, including an extra-time win over KuPS in UEFA Champions League qualification.
- Riga have also won four of their last five, arriving here on the back of a two-match winning streak.
- Riga are a 3.76 favourite, with Vardar 1.91 and the draw 3.9 at Todor Proeski Arena.
Riga can keep it tight against Vardar
These two sides have been on a roll recently and Riga FC face North Macedonia's FK Vardar Skopje on Wednesday in the UEFA Conference League qualification.
Cristian Fabbiani has brought an exciting edge to Vardar since he took the helm on 1 July 2026. The club have ripped through their last ten matches in all competitions, winning eight, drawing one and losing one.
Goran Zakaric has been the finisher in form for Vardar, scoring four of those eight recent goals, but Riga should be prepared to keep this one close.
Adrian Gula has kept Riga compact and tidy since taking over on 14 January 2025. His possession-first blueprint can travel well and is supported by the back-to-back wins Riga have made heading into this game, including a 3-2 win over FC Ararat-Armenia in the qualifying rounds.
Riga are a slight favourite here, which seems about right given the momentum both clubs have in their respective domestic competitions. But Vardar's home form makes this look a lot closer than the bookmakers think with five wins and only one defeat in six matches in all competitions.
Vardar have conceded just four goals in those six home games, although they are the much more vertical and transition-based side under Fabbiani, so this could turn into a tempo battle.
Riga are the more structured team by far, usually building up through a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 and pressing in coordinated ways. Vardar will try to break through the lines and hit on the move.
It looks like a clash of styles and it will be interesting to see if Riga can maintain their solidity here. We like the draw and narrow away win as main selection here, while under 3.5 goals looks a solid alternative approach.
