In two weeks, the Inver Reds will take on Latvian Higher League side FK Auda in the UEFA Conference League First Qualifying Round in Riga.
Last week’s draw saw the club pitted against Latvian opposition for the second season in a row, with the club set to return to the capital of Riga, but this time against different opposition.
Many Larne fans won’t be familiar with the club, which begs the question: who are FK Auda, and what can we expect in our upcoming clash?
Formed in 1969, Futbola Klubs Auda have finished third in the Latvian top flight for two consecutive seasons and are currently in the same position again this season.
The side plays their European games out of Skonto Stadium, the second biggest ground in Latvia, with a capacity of 8,000 spectators and home of Riga FC.
Throughout their history, the club has spent time jumping between the different levels of the Latvian football pyramid and at the start of the millennium, they achieved promotion to the top flight but only lasted three seasons before being relegated after financial restrains.
The club then returned to the top flight in 2021 after winning the 1 Līga and have since gone from strength to strength.
They won their first ever silverware in 2022 when they lifted the Latvian Cup with a 1-0 final victory over RFS, and a goal from Daniils Ulimbaševs helped the club qualify for European competition for the first time.
Playing the Europa Conference League, FK Auda were drawn against Slovakian side FK Spartak Trnava and were dealt a 5-2 aggregate defeat in their first-ever European tie.
Following a third-place league finish in 2023, they once again qualified for the competition for the 2024/25 season where they got their first continental victory, beating Icelandic side B36 Tórshavn 3-0 over two legs.
In the following round, they met Northern Irish opposition for the first time as they took on Cliftonville, winning both legs to seal a 4-1 aggregate win before exiting in the third round to FC Drita of Kosovo.
Following a second consecutive third-place league finish, the Latvian side qualified for European competition for the third season in a row as they now prepare to face the Inver Reds next month.
Amongst the current squad of players, there is a strong African core with no fewer than eight players from the continent in the first team, including club captain Abiodun Ogunniyi from Nigeria.
The winger scored in both of last season’s games against Cliftonville alongside fellow African forward Abdulrahman Taiwo.
However, neither forward is the side’s main source of goals with French midfielder Kemehlo Nguena leading their scoring charts with 8 goals in 17 league game this campaign.
Meanwhile, the squad also includes Brazilian centre back Rafael Pontelo who is on loan at the club from Sporting CP and once signed for the Portuguese side for a reported €700,000.
The first leg of our UEFA Conference League clash against FK Auda is set to be played on Thursday 10th July at the Ballymena Showgrounds before the return leg on Wednesday 16th July out in Riga.
