Blanks on FK Riga's European campaign: "We've landed in a good group"
After securing its first-ever European group-stage berth, FK Riga says it has drawn a favorable Conference League group, highlighting a December clash with Atalanta. The club will open its group campaign on October 15 against Kazakhstan's Kairat.
A representative of FK Riga, Blanks, has commented on the club's qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, saying the team landed in a relatively favorable group. Riga secured its European ticket during the summer qualifying rounds, beating Faroese side KI Klaksvik in the final round. This marks the club's first-ever appearance in European competition, after three previous attempts ended in play-off round defeats against strong opponents or unlucky circumstances.
Group opponents
While Riga will compete in the smallest of Europe's group competitions, Blanks acknowledged that competition within it is still significant, given both the clubs that qualified and those that missed out. The standout opponent is Italy's Atalanta, whom Riga will host on December 10; despite colder weather expected by then, the club hopes for a full stadium for the occasion.
Blanks noted it is convenient that Riga will host Kazakhstan's Kairat rather than travel there, given the considerable distance involved. He also highlighted the away trip to Lithuania's Zalgiris in Kaunas as a notable Baltic derby, expressing hope that Riga's supporters will travel to that match as well as to away fixtures in Cyprus and Bosnia.
Aiming for the top 24
Blanks declined to predict specific results for individual matches, saying the team will approach the campaign round by round. The stated objective is to finish among the top 24 teams in order to advance further in the competition. Riga will open its Conference League group stage campaign at home on October 15, hosting Kazakhstan's Kairat at Skonto Stadium, kicking off at 19:45.
