It is November and Latvian football season slowly comes to the end. In LMT Virslīga there are two rounds left and the main intrigue is who will get the second place.

FK Ventspils has already guaranteed the title but FHK Liepājas Metalurgs and Skonto are still competing for the second place. Liepāja's team is one point ahead but has a much tougher match on Sunday – the game in Ventspils against the Latvian title-holders. At the same time Skonto should take rather easy three points against FK Rīga.

Latvian national team will meet Estonia in Tallinn on Wednesday. Latvian coach Aleksandrs Starkovs has announced 21 candidates for that principal match against the neighbouring country. As 12th November is not an official day for friendlies, almost all players are from LMT Virslīga clubs. That is partly the reason why Starkovs has called four debutants - Raivis Hščanovičs, Oļegs Laizāns (both Skonto), Vladimirs Volkovs (Dinaburg) and Artjoms Rudņevs (Daugava). The more importing fact is that Vitālijs Astafjevs almost certainly will play his 150th match for Latvian national team.

And finally some words about Latvian footballers in foreign countries. The paradox is that players who do not get in the Latvian national team have the best results. Māris Smirnovs played again 90 minutes for his Polish side Gornik and sadly his team lost 2:3 in Polish championships against Belchatow. Still it is positive that Smirnovs has the opportunity to play on a high level. The ones playing in Lithuania can also be satisfied – Ivans Lukjanovs’ Suduva won 2:1 against Silute and the Latvian scored the decisive goal. Whereas Intars Kirhners scored from the penalty spot in the 90th minute and his team Siaulai drew with Atalantas.

At the same time national team members Juris Laizāns, Andrejs Perepļotkins, Kaspars Gorkšs and Māris Verpakovskis have not played in the last matches.

written by e-sports.lv
edited by Mihkel Uiboleht