Valmiera vs Olimpija Prediction: Will the Latvian club be able to show their best qualities?

On 19 July, the return match of the first qualifying round of the Champions League between Valmiera and Olimpija will start. In the first game, the Slovenian club's players were stronger. They achieved a minimal advantage, and the hosts still have a chance of progressing. Will the players of the Latvian club be able to show their best qualities?

After an away defeat to Olimpija (1:2), Valmiera returned to their arena and hosted Super Nova. The team played well in the first half and scored two unanswered goals. After the break, there were no results - Valmiera confidently reached the quarter-finals of the Latvian Cup. As for the club's form in the Latvian championship, with 34 points, Valmiera is only in third place, 21 points behind the leader Riga.

For Olimpija, the match with Valmiera was the first official match in the 2023-24 season. The team beat their opponents 2:1 at home. Before the winning performance in the Champions League qualification, the team successfully played three friendlies. Olimpija beat Primorje (4:2), Rudar (4:1) and Hajduk (1:0).

The Slovenian club can be considered a high-scoring club. The hosts of the upcoming game will have to take risks and go forward in a big way to get back after 1:2 in Slovenia. Olimpija players will have a lot of free areas for counterattacks, which they will take advantage of. We don't rule out a second consecutive successful outcome of the head-to-head match and another 2:1 win for Olimpija.