FK Liepaja host FK Dečić Tuzi at Daugava Stadium on 9 July 2026 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round tie, with the winner on aggregate advancing to the second round. It's the opening European fixture of the 2026/27 season for both clubs and progression unlocks further rounds. Liepaja sit around fourth in the Latvian Virsliga after 22 matches with 28 points from eight wins, though ten defeats in that run says plenty about the inconsistency Vladimir Vassiljev has inherited since taking over on 1 June 2026 following Andreas Alm's departure at the end of May. Nebojša Jandrić continues as Decic's Serbian head coach and since the two managers have never faced each other, there is no tactical history to read into here.
Liepaja's last five results read L-L-L-W-L, including a 1-3 defeat to BFC Daugavpils and further losses to RFS, while Decic's are worse at L-L-L-L-D, with reports ahead of this tie consistently flagging their fragile pre tournament form. Between them, these two sides have won just once in their last ten matches.
No confirmed team news is available ahead of kick off, with starting line ups yet to be widely confirmed despite the UEFA squad lists naming Liepaja goalkeeper Alvis Sorokins and Decic options including Andrej Camaj. Tactically, Liepaja are expected to push the game forward as the home side, though their recent results raise serious doubts about how reliably they convert pressure into goals. Decic will likely defend deep and look for transitions and their back line in a low block will be a stubborn enough obstacle for a Liepaja attack that has found little consistency across the form run already established.
The two clubs have never met, which removes any historical patterns to lean on and set pieces become worth watching given the low block Decic are likely to sit in. The 12:00 local kick off and the long travel from Montenegro give Liepaja a marginal logistical edge.
Liepaja are favoured at around 58% implied probability, though a goalless draw looks the likeliest outcome. Both sides have lost far more than they have won recently and neither is likely to take risks in a first leg, with the away goal rule making caution the rational choice for both benches.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
