- HB Køge (W) arrive off the back of consecutive wins and clean sheets, and they have the form to be the favorite at 34/5
- Riga FC (W) arrive off the back of an exceptional run in qualifying, beating Glentoran 4-1 and Wrexham 4-1 to reach this stage, where they'll look to punish any Køge errors
- HB Køge have been in strong competitive form, winning 3-0 away at FC København on 28 July before thrashing ASA Aarhus 4-0 at home on 1 August
Danish champions are a step up
There's not a great amount of history to draw on in the build-up to the first competitive clash between HB Køge and Riga FC (W) as they enter this UEFA Women's Champions League second-qualifying round semi-final in search of a spot in the mini-tournament final. However, there is a marked contrast between the Danish and Latvian domestic games that ought to give the Danes the edge.
HB Køge have been fast and full of intensity in the opening weeks of the A-Liga campaign, which they won last season along with the Danish Cup, and they have begun 2026/27 by going wire-to-wire as the early pace-setters. Kristian Mørch's side have already racked up a pair of impressive results with a 3-0 away win at FC København and a 4-0 thrashing of ASA Aarhus at the weekend.
That's a goal for Sarah Thygesen, who brings width, delivery and the kind of craft to cut through the lines from the wide areas that will be crucial on Wednesday. Mørch's team plays a high-tempo, full-paced game and looks well-suited to press opponents into mistakes and recover the ball quickly in their own half.
Riga are riding high in qualifying
Riga have a different set of qualities and Vadims Burlačuks has been able to rotate his forwards in the two qualifiers thus far without losing too much potency. They beat Glentoran 4-1 and Wrexham 4-1 in the UWCL Q1 mini-tournament to win that section, but the step up in class to play the domestic champions of Denmark on Køge's home patch will be a tough ask.
Kumba Zainab Brima is Riga's primary scoring threat and they will be looking for her to punish any errors in the transition, while the more vertical nature of Riga's game is perhaps best suited to the counter-attacking game. Katrīna Daņilova adds a touch of bite between the lines and can play a role in linking up as much as she can contribute a goal, so Riga should be able to keep this competitive, but they may struggle to control possession.
Koge are the obvious choice in the full-time result market and a 2-0 win looks good, although Riga's scoring form suggests they can grab a goal if they land a counter-attacking blow. The safest play in the correct score market is for 2-0, although it depends on Køge's press working and Kyra Carusa landing on the right side of a 50-50 challenge in the box. Catherine Paulson is the sort of late-runner who can arrive in the six-yard box like a ghost and she looks a good anytime scorer pick after getting on the scoresheet against ASA.
