Riga face packed schedule through year-end, Jurkovskis under heaviest load
After beating city rivals to reach the Latvian Cup final, Riga now face a dense fixture list through the end of the year, complicated by changes to the national team break schedule. Defender Raivis Jurkovskis is set to carry the heaviest workload.
Following a 3:2 win in the capital derby that sent them into the Latvian Cup final, Riga picked up one extra match to fit into their Conference League phase schedule. The club has already played 40 official matches this season, with 16 still remaining.
Changes to international breaks
Starting this year, the autumn international break format has changed: the two smaller September and October windows have been merged into one larger window featuring four matches at the turn of September into October, while the November break stays unchanged. This has also affected the European competitions' calendar — the first round of the Champions League and Europa League now starts a week earlier than before, while the Conference League's opening round has been pushed back two weeks, to October 15. Riga will finish their Conference League league phase on December 17 away to Borac Banja Luka.
Unknown factor: the cup final
The date and venue of the Latvian Cup final remain unannounced. The federation has only indicated it will take place in late October, most likely on the 28th or 29th. Riga's away match against Grobiņa must be moved to October 25 because of an away fixture in Pafos on October 22, while the final-round derby against RFS cannot be rescheduled to any other date.
Jurkovskis facing a record workload
Over ten months, from February 17 to December 17, Riga will have played 56 official matches — matching the total of last season's Champions League winners PSG. The calendar will be especially dense from April through mid-November. Since Riga's foreign legionnaires do not play for their national teams, they will get a breather during international windows — unlike Latvia's national team players. Defender Raivis Jurkovskis faces the heaviest burden of all: he has already played 44 matches this season and covered 85% of all available minutes for club and country combined.
