Nicolato ahead of Armenia match: “Latvia must make better use of scoring chances”

Latvia have arrived in Yerevan for their opening match of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign against Armenia. At the pre-match press conference, head coach Paolo Nicolato said his side must compete physically and be more effective in attack. Goalkeeper Frenks Dāvids Orols also identified duels as a potential deciding factor.

“Winning here certainly won’t be easy. Everyone wants to win. We are determined to take three points, and I think the Armenians are too. First, we need to be competitive physically and then follow our strategy. We need to pay more attention to our attacking play: when we create scoring chances, we have to take them,” Nicolato said.

The coach noted that Latvia had only a few days to prepare for the match. He said Armenia’s squad problems had not changed the visitors’ plans. Latvia also have players unavailable, including some late absences, although Nicolato did not name anyone new.

“We are focused on our own team. We want to improve our performances and our approach to football. We want to look different from when we were here two years ago. We need to play well, but we must also focus on the result,” he added.

Orols said the team were in good spirits as they began a new campaign. In his view, the tight schedule of four matches will give more players an opportunity to play.

“I think duels will be decisive in tomorrow’s match. If we win them, we can hope for a positive result,” the goalkeeper said.

Armenia vs Latvia will take place at the Republican Stadium in Yerevan on September 25. Kick-off is at 20:00 local time.