2024 Virsliga Preview

The Virsliga last season was very entertaining with a very dramatic finish to the season as Riga FC were in 1st place for most of the season only to bottle it in their last match in a 1-1 draw to Valmiera. There was also drama at the other end of the table as BFC Daugavpils avoided relegation by beating FK Liepāja 3-1 in the second to last game of the season. Liepāja missed out on a spot in the Conference League Qualifiers because of that. The 2024 Virsliga will be a fascinating season from top to bottom so you won't want to miss it. 
All stats next to the players names are from last season's Virsliga.

Pāvels Šteinbors lifts the Virsliga trophy for RFS
Image Source: RFS Insta Page

RFS

Last year RFS won their second ever Virsliga title in history after a dramatic 1-0 win against Metta in the final match of the season. Despite an underwhelming performance in Europe being knocked out by Azeri side Sabah FK (4-1 aggregate), they were able to concentrate on the league and snatch the title from Riga FC in the last game of the season.

RFS have a solid back line as they have the centre back pairing of Žiga Lipušček & Herdi Prenga who only conceded 18 goals in 36 matches, the lowest amount in the league. RFS have strengthened in the middle as they signed Georgian midfielder Lasha Odisharia. The 21-year old got 5 assists in 20 games in the Georgian Erovnuli Liga for Dinamo Tbilisi. A key player for RFS up front is club legend Emerson Santana who has pace on the wing as well as having scored 9 goals and got 8 assists last season.

RFS will be aiming for not only a repeat of winning the league but also qualifying for the Conference League group stages as they did two seasons ago. Having won the Virsliga, RFS have a huge chance of achieving that goal again. RFS have many of their core players from the last three years in the squad which gives them an advantage over Riga FC as their team chemistry could be key in keeping the trophy at the LNK Sporta Parks.

Žiga Lipušček celebrates with RFS teammates after scoring vs Riga FC
Image Source: RFS Facebook Page

Riga FC 

Riga FC finishing in 2nd place was a huge disappointment as they were top of the table for most of the season only to tie Valmiera in the last game of the season. Despite having the highest budget in the league, Riga have failed to win the Virsliga for the last three seasons and will do anything they can to change that. 

The Rīdzenieki appointed Simo Valakari as the new manager. Valakari coached Auda last season and helped them reach 3rd place in the league which is their highest ever league finish. One position that the Rīdzenieki have strengthen in during the transfer window is the midfield. Riga FC signed two Argentine midfielders in Brian Orosco (on loan from Estudiantes) and Gonzalo Muscia (Arsenal de Sarandí), as well as Lucas Cardoso on loan from Brazilian side Cuiabá Saf (Serie A). Former Dortmund midfielder Miloš Jojic had a decent season with Riga FC having scored 5 goals and 6 assists. The Serbian midfielder will be a key player this season.

Although it may be hard mentally for the Rīdzenieki mentally after how last season finished, the new signings they have might bring in a different mentality and more depth to the squad. Anything lower than winning the league will be a seen as a disappointing season for Riga however, unlike last season many players have stayed at the club. Perhaps the team chemistry will be better than last season which could be the difference for the Rīdzenieki.

Riga FC players before the penalty shootout against RFS
Image Source: Riga FC Facebook Page

FK Auda

The Ķekava side kept punching above their weight as they finished in 3rd place after only their second season in the Virsliga. Auda also made their debut in Europe last season and secured a spot in this season's Conference League Qualifiers.

Auda hired Filipe Almeida who has never been a manager before, however he was an assistant coach for Fenerbahce and was a fitness coach for Porto. Auda have also been very busy in the transfer window as they sign Brazilian midfielder Lucas Ramos on loan from SC Internacional (Serie A) who is worth over 1 million Euros according to Transfermarkt. Another midfielder Auda signed is Ousmane Camara on loan from Riga FC. The Burkina Faso winger was listed on a Guradian article as one of the "60 best talents New Gen 2023" as well as playing in the 2023 U17 World Cup. Another player to look out for is Aleksejs Saveljevs as he controls the middle and has an eye for goal (5 goals last season).

After two successful seasons in the Virsliga since promotion, Auda remain ambitious and will want to try to push for the title as well as preforming well in the Conference League. A very exciting season if you are a Auda fan.

Auda celebrate after a 1-0 win over Metta
Image Source: Tonybet Virsliga Facebook Page

Valmiera FC

After winning the Virsliga in 2022, Valmiera lost many key players, suffered many injuries and simply weren't the same powerful team as before. Despite that, they still held their own last season and managed to secure a spot in this season's Conference League Qualifiers. 

Valmiera made some potential key signings in the transfer window with one of them being left back Carlos Duke who previously played for SC Sagamihara (Japanese 3rd tier). Duke could be a great signing for Valmiera as he is a modern day left back who can cross and shoot at goal. Up front the Vidzeme side have Renārs Varslavāns who is an up and coming player however early last year he suffer a major injury which meant that he was out for the season. Alongside Varslavāns is Lūkass Vapne who is on loan from Metta. The 20-year old could be a vital signing for Valmiera as he scored 8 goals & got 4 assists for Metta last season.

The Vidzeme side will need a strong start in the league as Riga FC, RFS and Auda will be really tough opponents to compete with. Valmiera will be aiming for the top 3 as well as aiming to win the Latvijas Kauss for the first time in their history.

Niks Sliede & Meissa Diop celebate scoring vs Metta/LU
Image Source: Valmiera FC Facebook Page

FK Liepāja

Last season was a disappointment for the Kurzeme side to say the least as they are now two seasons without playing in Europe. Last season the Liepājnieki signed over 25 players which affected the dynamic of the team.

This season Liepāja continue to rebuild their squad as they signed a whopping 10 players. The stand out signing is Dutch defender Lassana Faye who has played for Den Haag, Vitesse and Sparta Rotterdam. The 25-year could be a key signing as Liepāja struggled at the back last season conceding 54 goals (more than 5 teams) in the league. The Liepājnieki seemed to have focused on signing players with Virsliga experience as they signed RFS midfielder Artūrs Zjuzins as well as two former Valmiera midfielders in Luka Silagadze and Fraj Kayramani. Up front, watch out for Brazilian forward Dodo as he scored 13 goals and got 5 assists in 27 matches.

Liepāja will fight for the top 3 against Valmiera and Auda. The main target is to qualify for the Conference League and give Liepāja European football once again. With many new signings the big question is, will Liepāja manager Tamaz Pertia get the team chemistry and starting 11 right. Only time will tell.

Liepāja celebrate after scoring against Ukrainian side Veres Rivne
Image Source: FK Liepāja Facebook Page

FS Jelgava

In the 2023 Virsliga preview I mentioned that if Jelgava avoided relegation, that would be a success. However despite having the youngest squad (average age of 20.2) last season, the Zemgale side overachieved and finished in 6th place.

Jelgava have added experience to their young squad as Gļebs Kļuškins returns to Zemgale from FK Liepāja. The 31-year old has also played for RFS and Metta/LU as well as having 19 appearances for the Latvian national team. Former Riga FC midfielder Armands Pētersons will also join Jelgava. The 33-year old has played for the Latvian national team as well as having 8 Europa League matches under his belt. 20-year old Ralfs Maslovs was fantastic last season for the Jelgavnieki. Despite being a left-back he was extremely effective up front having 3 goals, 3 assists and was creating dangerous moments for Jelgava.

Jelgava will aim to maintain being "the best of the rest" in the league if not aim even higher then 6th place. With a exciting young squad which now has a year of Virsliga experience alongside a few new veterans on the team, the Jelgavnieki could surprise a few people this season.

FS Jelgava starting 11 before facing BFC Daugavpils
Image Source: FS Jelgava Facebook page 

BFC Daugavpils

The Latgale side finished in 7th place for the second season in a row and are most likely going to be fighting to avoid relegation again. Daugavpils lost a few key players such as keeper Vladislavs Kurakins (FK Liepāja) and defenders Jaroslav Harušťák (MFK Chrudim, Czech Republic 2nd tier) and Moses Salifu Bawa Zuure (free agent). The biggest loss is definitely forward Valerijs Lizunovs who scored 9 goals in 31 appearances.

It's not all doom and gloom for Daugavpils as they signed a few decent players for the upcoming season. Keeper Frenks Dāvids Orols returns to Daugavpils on loan from RFS to replace Kurakins. Another player Daugavpils got on loan from RFS is Jevgenijs Miņins who is great at controlling the play, and has an eye for goal (10 goals for Super Nova last season). Another quality signing Daugavpils made was 23-year old left winger Barthélémy Diedhiou who previously played for Lille's B team.

For a bottom half side, Daugavpils were solid at the back however the loss of two key defenders could comeback to bite them. The midfield pairing of Miņins/Diedhiou could help as Daugavpils struggled up front last season. Time will tell how it will play out.

BFC Daugavpils players celebrate after avoiding relegation.
Image Source: BFC Daugavpils Facebook Page

Tukums 2000/Telms

Tukums had an up and down season by their standards however they achieved the main objective by avoiding relegation and finished in 8th place. This season is the third year in a row where Tukums will compete in the Virsliga.

Tukums lost two key players up front as Raivis Ķiršs (GKS Wikielec, Polish 4th tier) and Arturs Krancmanis (Auda) scored a combined 18 goals in the league. The Tukumnieki however have replaced their forward line with Kenroy Campbell and Valerijs Lizunovs who are both on loan from RFS. Both players were on loan to BFC Daugavpils where they scored a combined 10 goals. 23-year old Bogdans Samoilovs controlled the middle of the park for Tukums as scored 4 goals & had the 3rd most assists (9) in the league last season. 

The main goal for Tukums will be to stay in the Virsliga and maybe aim to be the best of the rest. Tukums will have to work on their back line as last season they conceded 83 goals (second highest in the league) in order to improve for this year.

Tukums players celebrate after scoring against Valmiera
Image Source: FK Tukums 2000 Facebook Page

Metta/LU

Metta finished in 9th place and just about avoided being relegated as they beat Skanstes SK in a playoff to stay in this season's Virsliga. As Metta have one of the youngest squads in the league as well as one of the best academies in Latvia, many of their key players get sold to bigger clubs each year. Metta lost two forwards Lūkass Vapne (Valmiera on loan) and Artjoms Puzirevskis (GFK Tikvesh, North Macedonia) who scored a combined 18 goals. 

Despite losing two vital players there are some signings that the Metta fans can be excited about. One of them is American midfielder Jordan Bender who previously played for Cape Town City and had 10 appearances last season in the South African Premier League. The Rīdzenieki are also strengthening the back as they sign former Metta player Jegors Novikovs on loan from Auda. With more experience playing for a bigger club like Auda, Novikovs could play a crucial part for Metta. The players to look out for is the deadly forward duo of Bruno Melnis and Lamine Correa who scored a combined 13 goals and got 11 assists last season. 

As the Rīdzenieki have always been fighting to avoid relegation since 2012 (1st ever season in the Virsliga), Metta will want to change that and compete with BFC Daugavpils, Tukums & FS Jelgava to be the "best of the rest". 

Metta players huddle up after scoring vs Valmiera
Image Source: FS Metta Facebook Page

Grobiņas SC/LFS

Grobiņa impressed last season in the 1.Liga and got promoted to the Virsliga for the first time in their history. With a population of just over 3,000 people, being in the Virsliga is a remarkable achievement for the club and the town. 

Former Liepāja manager Viktors Dobrecovs (won the Virsliga in 2015) has done a brilliant job in building the club from an amateur team to a Virsliga team with some of Latvia’s up and coming players. A player to look out for is Devids Dobrecovs (managers son) who controls the middle of the park as well as having an eye for goal. Dobrecovs scored 12 goals in last season's 1.Liga.  Former Grobiņa player Roberts Meļķis returns to the club after playing for Tukums and Liepāja last season. The left winger could be a vital player to help Grobiņa stay in the Virsliga.

The goal for Grobiņa is to simply avoid relegation and stay in the Virsliga for another year. The results against Metta and Tukums will determine whether the Kurzeme side will stay in the league or not.

Grobiņa celebrate after getting promoted to the Virsliga
Image Source: Grobiņas SC/LFS Facebook Page