On Thursday evening at 9 PM, Sporting will play their fourth game in the UEFA Europa League. For this occasion, purple and white heads to Riga, another Art Nouveau pioneer city, like Brussels. Let's get to know FC RFS, also called RFS.
Football in the Baltic Capital of Art Nouveau
A first for Sporting: on Thursday, they will play in Latvia for the first time in their club history. Riga, the largest city in the Baltic states with a population of around 640,000, is primarily known for its Art Nouveau architecture.
Approximately one-third of the buildings in the city center—around 800 in total—are designed in this iconic style. The historic old town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also in Riga, the European Art Nouveau shirt fits the theme perfectly.
In Latvia’s Art Nouveau capital, RSC Anderlecht will face RFS. The club was founded in 2005 under the name FSK Daugava-90 Riga and plays its home games at the LNK Sporta Parks. RFS plays their European games at the Dauga stadium, which can accommodate around 10 000 fans.
At RFS, the party mood is still in the air. Last Sunday, it took the domestic league title for the third time in its club history. The week before, the Latvians also added the cup to their record for the third time.
RFS in European Football
Since the 2019/2020 season, the Latvian capital’s club has been a regular participant in European qualifiers. This marks the second time that RFS has reached the group stage of a European tournament, an accomplishment only two Latvian clubs have ever achieved.
Two seasons ago, RFS was drawn in Group A of the Conference League alongside Fiorentina (Italy), Hearts (Scotland), and Istanbul Başakşehir (Turkey). They finished fourth after two draws and four losses.
The Latvian club has previously faced a Belgian team in European competition. In the 2021-2022 season, RFS was eliminated in the third qualifying round of the Conference League by KAA Gent.
RFS’s European Campaign So Far
According to Transfermarkt, the Latvian champion has the lowest market value among all UEFA Europa League teams. However, underestimation would be a mistake. RFS knocked out the Cypriot champion Apoel FC in the Europa League playoff and is holding its own in the group stage.
In their European opener, RFS lost to FCSB (1-4). At home, the Latvians drew 2-2 against Turkey’s Galatasaray, featuring stars like Mertens and Batshuayi. They narrowly lost their third game to Frankfurt, leaving them in 31st place, 8 points behind Sporting, which shares the lead with Tottenham and Lazio.
One name in the RFS squad will sound familiar to Jupiler Pro League fans. Serbian striker Darko Lemajic joined the Latvian capital club in the summer of 2023 from KAA Gent. Cameroonian goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa also has a history in Belgium, having played 30 games for KV Oostende.
At the LNK Sporta Parks in Riga, Sporting will defend its unbeaten European record on Thursday evening at 9 PM. In the next home game, RSC Anderlecht will host four-time European champion FC Porto. Tickets for this top fixture are now available.
