Rigas Futbola Skola vs Hearts Match Analysis and Prediction

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Hearts make the trip to Latvia to face Rigas Futbola Skola on Thursday as they will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing start in Europa Conference League.

While Hearts went down to defeat at home to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, RFS recorded one of their most famous results with a draw against Fiorentina on the same night.

Rigas FS would have undoubtedly been viewed as the underdogs of the group given the manner of their last-gasp progress past Linfield in the playoff round.

That is no longer th case after they surprised Fiorentina, coming from behind to record a 1-1 draw in Italy thanks to Andrej Ilic’s 74th-minute equaliser.

Viktors Morozs’ side’s wait for a clean sheet in European matches has been extended to seven games and 14 months, but they are now very much in the race for qualification with their easiest match on paper to come next.

Having finished in third place in the Scottish Premiership during the 2021-22 campaign, this season was supposed to be another of progression for Hearts.

However, they head into their next fixture on the back of six defeats from seven games across all competitions, their solitary win during that time coming by a 3-2 scoreline at home to St. Johnstone.

The sense of occasion for the Tynecastle meeting with Istanbul Basaksehir gave the Jam Tarts an opportunity to raise their game against opponents who would have been regarded as rivals for second place behind Fiorentina.

However, the Turkish giants ran riot in Edinburgh, claiming a 4-0 victory with three of their goals coming during the final quarter of the contest.

The postponement of matches in the United Kingdom last weekend has led to Hearts and Robbie Neilson having longer to dwell on that result ahead of what is simply a must-win game in Riga.

Rigas Futbola Skola vs Hearts head to head

These two teams have not previously met on any occasion and this will be their first meeting in the Europa Conference League group stages.

Rigas Futbola Skola latest home form

Rigas FS have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their five most recent matches. They managed to defeat Spartaks Jurmala 3-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 13 goals and conceded five.

Rigas FS 2-2 Linfield 18/08/22

Rigas FS 2-2 Valmiera 21/08/22

Rigas FS 5-0 Grobina 01/09/22

Rigas FS 1-1 Riga 04/09/22

Rigas FS 3-0 Spartaks Jurmala 12/09/22

Rigas Futbola Skola latest away form

Rigas FS have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their seven most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Fiorentina in their last away game in the Europa Conference League. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded five.

Hibernians 1-3 Rigas FS 11/08/22

Tukums 1-4 Rigas FS 14/08/22

Linfield 1-1(P) Rigas FS 25/08/22

Liepaja 1-2 Rigas FS 01/09/22

Fiorentina 1-1 Rigas FS 08/09/22

Hearts latest home form

Hearts have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just one of their four most recent matches. They lost 4-0 to Istanbul Basaksehir in their last home game in the Europa Conference League. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded nine.

Hearts 4-1 Dundee United 14/08/22

Hearts 0-1 Zurich 25/08/22

Hearts 3-2 St. Johnstone 28/08/22

Hearts 0-1 Kilmarnock 31/08/22

Hearts 0-4 Istanbul Basaksehir 08/09/22

Hearts latest away form

Hearts have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their five most recent matches. They were beaten 1-0 by Livingston in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored three goals and conceded eight.

Preston North End 2-1 Hearts 20/07/22

Hibernian 1-1 Hearts 07/08/22

Zurich 2-1 Hearts 18/08/22

Celtic 2-0 Hearts 21/08/22

Livingston 1-0 Hearts 03/09/22

Rigas Futbola Skola news

Barring any fresh injury issues, Morozs will almost certainly be prepared to retain the same Rigas FS XI from the draw at Fiorentina.

Deniss Rakels has eight goals from 15 league matches this season and could slot into the attack if Morozs wanted to switch to a front two for this contest.

Hearts news

Neilson could opt to stick with the 4-4-1-1 formation that he used against Istanbul Basaksehir, with the team boosted with the return of Jorge Grant from suspension.

Gary Mackay-Steven and Toby Sibbick will also feel that they are in contention for recalls on Thursday given the level of performances last week.