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The Latvian men’s volleyball team will meet with the hosts in the last game of Group D of the European Championship qualifying tournament in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, today and in case of victory will guarantee a place in the final tournament.
The game between the two teams is scheduled for 8 pm Latvian time and will be broadcast live on Latvian Television Channel 7.
It has already been reported that on Saturday Latvia lost to Spain in the second duel of the second round with 1-3, but on Friday in the first game with 3-0 won Moldova. In the first round, Latvia beat Moldova 3-0, 1-3 lost to Spain and defeated Cyprus 3-0.
Meanwhile, Cyprus beat Spain unexpectedly in the first duel of the second round 3-0, but beat Moldova 3-2 on Saturday. In the first round, the Cypriots 1-3 conceded to Spain, but lost 0-3 to Latvia and Moldova.
In case of victory, Latvia will secure a place in the final tournament of the European Championship.
In subgroup D, after five games with nine points, Latvia takes the first place, Spain also has the same number of points, Moldova has earned seven points, but Cyprus has five points.
Latvia has a much better win / lose set ratio, which is an important additional indicator in determining the place in the group, if there are the same number of wins and points.
Latvia has managed to qualify for the final tournament in 1995, but Avo Kēl with the Estonian national team – twice. Led by head coach Keh, this is the second attempt for Latvians to enter the European Championship final.
In 2018, Latvia played in the sub-group of the European Championship qualification tournament together with the Estonians and the State of Israel. The only victory in the last match was won over the Israelis, but the subgroup had to settle for the last, third, position.
Meanwhile, Cyprus has never played in the final.
Even before leaving for Cyprus, the Latvian national team in Estonia held three test matches with the local national team, failing in all dues. Duels with the Polish team Radrad “Cerrad Enea Czarni” were also planned, but they had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The European Championship qualifiers in Group D take place in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, where the two-round matches will take place from 30 August to 6 September. In addition to Latvia and hostess Cyprus, Spain and Moldova also participate.
The qualifying tournament for the European Championship in Group D is the only one in which both rings are played at once in one country, and the only one that is played in late August and early September, with the finalists in the other groups being determined in January next year.
The final tournament is scheduled for August and September 2021 in Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland and Estonia. Four home teams and the top eight teams from previous European Championships in Serbia, Slovenia, France, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Germany and Belgium have already secured a place in the top 24 teams in Europe in the final tournament. The remaining 12 places in the final tournament will be taken by the winners of seven groups and the five best second place winners.
Composition of the Latvian volleyball team:
builders – Deniss Petrovs (Nizhny Novgorod ASK, Russia), Edvin Skruder (Jekabpils “Lynx”);
second tempo – Romans Saušs (“Argo de Sete”, France), Kristaps Šmits (“Limbaži” / MSĢ), Atvars Ozoliņš (“Parnu”, Estonia), Markuss Cielavs (“Savo Volley”, Finland);
diagonal – Hermans Egleskalns (Olympiacos, Piraeus, Greece), Edward Buvids (LINDAREN Volley I, Amrisville, Switzerland), Kristaps Platačs (Parnu, Estonia), Renārs Jansons (RTU / Border Guard);
first tempo – Toms Švans (“Parnu”, Estonia), Vladislavs Blumbergs, Zigurds Adamovičs (both – Jēkabpils “Lūši”);
libero – Ingars Ivanovs (RTU / “Border Guard”).
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