Latvia's volleyball team to test strength against Denmark ahead of European Championship

Latvia's men's national volleyball team is approaching the final stretch of preparations for this autumn's European Championship final tournament, which the country has qualified for for the third time. On Wednesday at 18:30, the team will host Denmark at the Rimi Olympic Centre in the first friendly of the second training camp phase. The match will be broadcast live on Sportacentrs.com.

Denmark recently won bronze at the CEV European League, winning all six matches in the main round before losing to Finland in the semifinal. Denmark ranks 32nd in the world rankings, while Latvia sits in 49th place. Under head coach Uģis Krastiņš, Latvia began preparations back in spring and finished the first training camp phase with a 13th-place finish in the CEV European League.

Coach's assessment

Krastiņš noted that Denmark has a powerful serve and a strong generation of players, some of whom will compete in the Polish, Japanese and French leagues next season. He described the Danes as a determined team that will not give anything away easily, meaning Latvia will need strong competitive character to impose its own style of play. The coach also wants to see how his team controls game situations against a strong opponent.

The search for the optimal lineup continues within the squad as well, with Krastiņš hoping to rotate players widely to evaluate each one in specific situations. He praised the fact that all 17 players have been available throughout most of the preparation period without major interruptions, and that significant work has gone into handling high balls and out-of-system situations.

What's next

Latvia will face Denmark again in a closed-door friendly on Thursday. From September 3-5, a test tournament in Tallinn awaits, where Latvia will face Ukraine, Estonia and Slovakia. The team is expected to travel to that tournament already with the 14 players who will represent the national team at the European Championship.

At the final tournament, Latvia will play its group stage matches in Romania, facing the hosts on September 9, Germany on September 11, France on September 13, Switzerland on September 15, and Turkey on September 16.