Kazakhstan v Latvia background

Kazakhstan have come off the worse in their three previous meetings with Latvia, but will hope to turn over a new leaf in the first competitive encounter between the two former Soviet republics in UEFA EURO 2016 Group A.

Match background
• Kazakhstan's record in three games against Latvia – all friendlies – is W0 D1 L2. This will be the first time they have taken on Latvia at home, with the first of their previous encounters taking place in Riga (a 2-1 loss) and the next two on neutral territory: a 3-1 loss in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 18 February 2004 and a 0-0 draw in Antalya, Turkey, on 29 February 2012.

• The sides' first encounter, on 17 April 2002, was only Kazakhstan's second game as a UEFA member nation – following a goalless draw with Estonia on 14 November 2001 – and might have ended in their first win rather than their first defeat. Maxim Shevchenko put the visitors ahead, and while a penalty from substitute Mihails Zemļinskis (75) levelled things, Artūrs Zakreševskis's dismissal handed the advantage back to Vakhid Masudov's Kazakhstan. However, Andrejs Štolcers (89) struck late to win it for Aleksandrs Starkovs' side.

• Latvia were starting to prepare for UEFA EURO 2004 when the sides met in Cyprus, Marians Pahars (40) and Juris Laizāns (45, 56) responding for Starkovs' team after Yuri Aksenov had put Kazakhstan ahead.

• The nations' only previous meetings in UEFA age-group tournaments ended in 0-0 and 1-1 draws in a pair of UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers in 2012. They are scheduled to meet at U19 level on 14 October.

• The only past meeting between the nations' clubs came in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, SK Liepājas Metalurgs ousting FC Aktobe with a 1-0 win at home and a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan.