This Sunday, did you celebrate the title of Latvian champion in a disco and with a lot of alcohol?
“No, it will be after the European campaign. (Laughs) We were proud to be champion, but the celebration was modest. We, the players, were invited with our families to a dinner with the staff. So we will be ready for the match against Anderlecht. We still want to show ourselves in the Europa League, especially because no one thought we would qualify for the group stage (Editor’s note: against Apoel Nicosia after a series of penalties). .”
The team’s value is only estimated at 9.4 million.
“We therefore want to compete with teams much bigger than us. We have nothing to lose in the European Cup. Certainly, we only have 1 out of 12 in the groups (Editor’s note: 4-1 defeat at FCSB Bucharest, 2-2 against Galatasaray and 1-0 in Frankfurt), but we were not unworthy. We could have brought back points from Frankfurt, for example, where we hit the post twice. Anderlecht.”
You have scored 102 league goals, but on average you play in front of 500 people. Is the difference with the Belgian D1 big?
“Football in Belgium is more physical. The difference between the top 4 of our championship and the rest is huge. Football is not the number 1 sport in Latvia. Basketball and hockey are more popular. But the The population would still be very proud to see us beat a great team like Anderlecht. So don’t underestimate us.”
