After a two-year absence, Northern Irish side Glentoran return to European football for the first leg of the UEFA Conference League qualifier against Latvian outfit RFS on Thursday.
The Cock & Hens secured a top-three finish in last season’s Northern Ireland Premiership to avoid the UEFA Conference League play-offs that had seen them miss out in 2023/24 and 2024/25, but they are big underdogs against a visiting side with plenty of recent pedigree in Europe.
After successive league wins, RFS lost the Latvian Virsliga title by a single point to Riga rivals Riga FC last season, missing out on the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, but they will head to Belfast in high spirits after an excellent run of form domestically.
Glentoran v RFS Tips Summary
Best Bet - RFS to win to nil @ 2/1
Alternative Bet - Over 2.5 goals @ 8/13
Bet Builder - RFS to win, RFS to score over 1 goal & under 8 corners @ 6/1
Glentoran v RFS Prediction
Best Bet: RFS to win to nil @ 2/1
Glentoran’s last win in European football came six years ago in a narrow 1-0 triumph over Faroese side HB Torshavn, and they are unlikely to end that streak against an RFS side that have held their own against some of Europe’s top sides in recent years.
The Latvian side reached the UEFA Conference League league phase for the first time in 2024/25 and, while they narrowly missed out on a repeat of that last term, they have plenty of solid performances under their belt.
They were only narrow 1-0 losers away to Malmo in Champions League qualifying last term and picked up an incredible win over Ajax in 2024. They also drew with Galatasaray and Anderlecht in that league phase, while they only lost by a single goal away to Eintracht Frankfurt and Dynamo Kyiv.
Glentoran have scored only four goals in their last six home games in Europe, so back the Latvians to get a comfortable win under their belts.
Alternative Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 8/13
Over 2.5 goals has landed in three of RFS’s last six European games and they touch down in Belfast in the midst of some excellent attacking form.
They have scored 28 goals in their last 10 matches and three or more total goals have been scored in eight of them.
With Glentoran conceding 18 times in their last eight continental games, expect the favourites to fill their boots.
Glentoran v RFS Bet Builder Tip
RFS to win
RFS over 1 goal
Under 8 corners
Pays 6/1
RFS may not have the best European record on paper in recent years, but they have regularly faced higher-quality opposition than Glentoran and should have few problems against a side that have been out of continental action for two years.
The hosts have not won a European game in six years and have just three wins in Europe since the turn of the millennium.
RFS are unlikely to settle for a single goal as they look to put the tie to bed before the second leg, too. They have scored at least twice in eight of their last 10 games and have averaged 2.45 goals per game in this season’s Latvian Virsliga campaign.
While the goals may flow, corners are expected to be at a relative premium. RFS’s last five fixtures have averaged just 6.6 corners per game and only one of them has featured more than seven corner kicks.
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Key Match Stats
Glentoran have not won any of their last five European games
The Northern Irish side have only scored four goals in their last six European home matches
RFS have scored 28 goals in their last 10 matches
Fewer than eight corners have been won in four of RFS’s last five fixtures
Over 2.5 goals has landed in eight of RFS’s last 10 games
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
