Latvia vs Wales prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-10 18:45.
Latviaās dreams of qualifying for the UEFA European Championships already appear to have gone up in smoke after suffering a fourth straight Group D defeat. The 11 Wolves, whose only appearance at a major tournament to date was their group stage elimination at Portugal 2004, have been in desperately poor form in recent months, with their 5-0 battering at the hands of Croatia on Friday night a sixth successive international defeat.
That is a complete contrast to results in 2022, when Dainis KazakeviÄsā side finished top of their UEFA Nations League group, earning promotion to League C in the process. They will therefore be desperate to rekindle that kind of form as they attempt to improve upon a run of just one victory in 11 home Euro qualifiers (D1, L9) since 2011.
The hosts may struggle to turn that form around against visitors Wales, who have won the two previous H2Hs, including a 1-0 victory in Group Dās reverse meeting. Interestingly, that is the Dragonsā only win in their last 13 internationals (D4, L8), a desperate run which includes a Qatar 2022 World Cup elimination with just one point to their name (D1, L2).
Such form has led to plenty of criticism of manager Rob Page, with Welsh supporters now worried their team will fail to qualify for a Euro finals for the first time since 2012. The boss has come out fighting though, insisting fans āhave to be patientā following the retirement of a lot of senior players, including all-time leading scorer and appearance maker Gareth Bale.
Players to watch: JÄnis Ikaunieks has netted 11 goals for Latvia, eight of which have been the first or last of the game. Wales will hope captain Aaron Ramsey can fill the Gareth Bale-shaped hole in their squad given they have only ever lost one and won 14 of the 18 internationals in which he has scored (D3).
Hot streak: Latvia have conceded first in ten of their last 11 home UEC qualifying ties, with only three of those matches seeing both teams score.