RFS vs HJK Helsinki – RFS earned a spot in the Champions League first qualifying round by winning the Latvian Higher League last season, but they face a formidable challenge to move on after losing 1-0 to HJK in the first leg last week.
With 66 points from 28 games, Rigas won the Latvian Higher League for the first time ever last season, and they are now attempting to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the first time ever.
Both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 Europa League qualifying rounds saw Viktors Morozs’ team ousted, but they advanced to the third qualifying round of the 2021–22 Europa Conference League despite losing 3-2 on aggregate to Belgian team Gent.
RFS is second in the standings with 45 points after 20 matches in their domestic league, and they come into this match after a 4-0 victory against Spartaks Jurmala in the Latvian Cup on Saturday.
Despite the fact that the Latvian team has won three of their previous four games overall and scored 10 goals in the process, they still have a lot to do on Tuesday because they lost the first leg to HJK 1-0.
The guests participated in the Europa Conference League last year but were unsuccessful in advancing past the group round. They placed third in their division, which included LASK, Alashkert, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, where they played.
The most successful team in Finnish football history is HJK, who have won the top division 31 times. Last season, their performance allowed them to go to the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
Toni Koskela’s team lost to Malmo 4-3 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of the Champions League last year, but they did participate in the group stage of the 1998-99 European Cup, making them the first Finnish team to have participated in the actual Champions League.
HJK is also well along in its domestic league campaign. In 14 games, they have played, scoring 27 points, moving them up to second place in the standings, three points behind KuPS.
The Finnish team hasn’t played since the first leg, but they’re scheduled to play VPS on July 16 in their next league match, so they should be in good shape for the second leg versus Rigas.
RFS vs HJK Helsinki – Betting Analysis
We find it tough to support the Latvian team on Tuesday night, despite Rigas’ ability to turn the match around at home. HJK has set themselves up well to advance, and we anticipate them to win the second leg in Riga to win the match 3-1 overall.
RFS vs HJK Helsinki – Head-to-Head
Our Prediction: Away Win or Draw
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