Latvians undaunted by Newcastle test

Perched proudly at the top of Latvia's Virsliga, FK Ventspils are looking forward to one of the biggest matches in their history on Thursday when they welcome Newcastle United FC for the first leg of their UEFA Cup second qualifying round tie.

Brøndby inspiration
Ventspils have been enjoying something of a purple patch since the arrival of coach Roman Grigorchuk from FC Dinaburg in July last year and the Ukrainian is bidding to emulate one of the club's finest moments when Ventspils beat Danish side Brøndby IF on away goals in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup. "We're not going to sit back and admire how Newcastle play. We're going to upset them, the way we can," said Grigorchuk.

Money matters
Having visitors from the English Premiership has generated a wave of excitement in Latvia, where the annual budget of all eight Virsliga teams is estimated to be around a quarter of the €23.5m Newcastle paid Real Madrid CF to sign Michael Owen. The England striker's long-term knee injury means he will not feature, however.

'A great experience'
Ventspils president Jurij Bespalovs is delighted with the draw, saying: "Newcastle is a marvellous tie. It's going to be a great experience for us. It's always better to play a strong European club than to meet mediocre opponents." Forward Igors Slesarcuks agreed: "The matches against Newcastle will be a great chance to find out who we really are in European football, as players and as a team."

Special memories
Fellow frontman Vladimirs Kolesničenko shares his enthusiasm. "Newcastle is a perfect opponent at this stage," he said. "I'm sure everyone will remember this game - the fans, the players, the coaches, everyone. Latvian players only get six or seven games at this level in their careers." Newcastle's St James' Park, where the second leg will be held on 24 August, holds 52,000, which is around 8,000 more than the entire population of Ventspils, and the first leg has been switched to the Skonto Arena in Riga to accommodate more spectators.