In this ultimate superhero showdown of Baltic Football News, the podcast team takes on the editorial team to find out who knows more about football in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (or whether any of us know anything at all!)!Do you think you could do better? Share how many of the questions you got right in the comments below!

For all information about Baltic football in English and for latest football news from the region, including Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian players abroad, visit www.balticfootballnews.com

It's time to talk about Baltic football.

Why care about Baltic football, you may ask? It is exciting. It is unpredictable. It is accessible. And, it is authentic. For us, it is also local and we are very excited to expand our aperture to include Lithuania and Estonia to our previous coverage of Latvia. Whether you reside in one of the Baltic states and want to learn about what's going on next door or you are one of our many international listeners with great taste in football, we and our pan-Baltic team of football aficionados are here to cut through the language barrier and expose Baltic football in all its glory.

In this first episode of the Baltic Football Podcast, we talk about the new format before covering some of the key stories from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from January 2025. Tune in and dive in!

(00:00:01) Why do we care about Baltic football?

(00:07:05) Fans secure a home stadium purchase for FK Zalgiris!

(00:11:50) Gvidas Gineitis scores his first Serie A goal

(00:14:14) The football love story called FK Grobina

(00:19:47) Valmiera FC shown the Virsliga door

(00:22:03) Dream come true for Tamm, "the Estonian Haaland"

(00:25:15) Paide lead the way in girl's football

(00:28:03) Our favourite pan-Baltic friendlies

For football news from the Baltics, make sure to check out our brand new website - balticfootballnews.com

The Europa league stage is set to conclude with an intriguing clash between two teams that know one another quite well - FC RFS and FC Dynamo Kyiv. While both teams got some results in their previous match (RFS beating Ajax 1-0 and Dynamo drawing Galatasaray 3-3) both are also eliminated and have nothing but respect and UEFA money and coefficient points to play for.

For this final episode of this unexpectedly, yet delightfully long series on next opponents of Latvian clubs in Europe which started last summer (!), we sit down with a British-Ukrainian sports journalist Andrew Todos, who also hosts the podcast Zorya Londonsk, to discuss the upcoming Dynamo Kyiv fixture in Hamburg on January 30, 2025.

For more information (and ALL information) about Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian football, please visit balticfootballnews.com

Virsliga season 2024 is over and what a ride it's been! RFS won the League and the Cup, Valmiera almost ceased to exist, and Daugavpils made a legitimate run for Europe! We sit down to review the ups and the downs, to reflect on our start-of-season predictions and review how our 'players to watch' did, to award our season awards, and to ponder on what to look forward to next year!

(00:02:05) End-of-season table review

(00:19:25) Reflecting on our start-of-season predictions

(00:25:44) How did our 'Players to Watch' do?

(00:41:50) End-of-season awards: Best XI, MVP, U21 MVP, Biggest Flop and Biggest surprise!

(00:51:23) What we expect of next season and will Grobina survive?

(00:56:36) Some news

MANSCAPED.COM know that our listeners are some of the most attractive human beings out there and they want to do their bit to help others see it too! To this end, they have just released a brand new foil shaver and stubble trimmer - the Chairman Pro (what a name!) and are willing to give you 20% off on your order with manscaped.com + free shipping when you use promo code LFP20. Help the podcast and help yourself to look neat and fresh with their genuinely very impressive range of products. Franks likes the shaver and Dmitrijs is really impressed with the boxers and the care products!

Also, we highly recommend the Bradt Travel Guide to Latvia by Paul Brummel! It is a legitimately excellent guide (even approved by Dmitrijs, wow!) that will make your visit to Latvia much, much more special and enjoyable! Bradt offer our listeners a sweet deal with a LATVIA30 promo code!

We sit down with one of the Metta Academy coaches - James Prieditis, former coach at Huddersfield, Rochdale and Burnley - to talk about Latvian football, youth development, things to consider when picking an academy for your child, and about his extraordinary connection with Latvia.

Matchday 3 of Europa League 2024/2025 is here and RFS are heading out to Germany, to play one of the most formidable teams on their fixture list - Eintracht Frankfurt. A club with 125 year history and a 58000 capacity stadium, which is expected to be sold out, is a proper powerhouse of European football. To learn more about them, their style of play, and their famous fans, we are joined by Oliver Schliegl, a football agent and former CEO of Latvian Virsliga, to share his unique experience of being a bridge between Latvian and German football.

With only four rounds to go, there is no shortage of drama and excitement remaining in Virsliga 2024! Whether it is last minute coach changes at Riga FC, seemingly unbeatable RFS, emergent Metta and resurgent Liepaja, failing Valmiera or Grobina in a free-fall, the conclusion of this season is promising to be emotional!

(02:50) Riga rumours and Simo Valakari departure

(09:45) The Latvian Cup - all that happened, scores and misfortunes

(14:00) The cup curses - PPK and Grobina

(20:55) Do Daugavpils have a shot at Europe?

(21:25) Virsliga table, form and teams observations

(23:45) Grobina league woes

(25:11) Latvia win Euro UNITY Cup!

(25:45) Our Virsliga predictions

(33:22) RFS Women win the Latvian Cup!

(34:06) Europa league: RFS vs Galatasaray

One of the most unique games of Europa league is going to be against Ajax in Riga on the 23rd January 2025, which means that it's time to start growing a nice and thick beard in order to keep your face from freezing off during the match. To help you with this, and with your other grooming needs, our friends at manscaped.com developed a whole range of products, including The Beard Hedger - a specialist shaver for your face - and the latest Scalp Buffer - a silicone pad specifically engineered to improve blood circulation on and in your dome. Whether you are as hairy as Herdi Prenga or as shiny as Viktors Morozs, scalp buffer will make you feel fantastic and look your best. To get 20% off any order at manscaped.com + free shipping, use our promo code LFP20.

For a chance to win a EUR100+ shaver (The Lawn Mover 5.0), share what you feel was the closest shave of this season thus far on any of our social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok)!

Also, we highly recommend the Bradt Travel Guide to Latvia by Paul Brummel! It is a legitimately excellent guide (even approved by Dmitrijs, wow!) that will make your visit to Latvia much, much more special and enjoyable! Bradt offer our listeners a sweet deal with a LATVIA30 promo code!

Europa league is underway and one of the largest clubs in the world is about to visit Riga for RFS’s first home fixture at the almost fully sold out Daugava stadium. We are, of course, talking about Turkish Galatasaray! To learn about what we could expect from visiting supporters, as well as to catch up on how Galatasaray currently play, their strengths and weaknesses, Frank sat down with Ahmet Atasoy of the Tottiler Messiler podcast (@messiler)!

Our friends at Manscaped have a range of new products available, including the all new Scalp Buffer - a silicone scalp scrubbed that feels incredible and is very good for your hair and scalp. Remember the heavenly sensation first time someone used those wire head massagers on you? Scalp Buffer makes you feel this way every time you wash your hair, regardless of whether you have the hair of David Beckham in the early 2000s or of Viktors Morozs as he is trying to figure out his starting 11 for Galatasaray. Get 20% off and free shipping with our promo code: LFP20

Don't forget that one of the key games of Europa leagues is going to be against Ajax in Riga on the 23rd January 2025, meaning that it's time to start growing a nice and thick beard to keep your face warm during the match. To help you with this, our friends at manscaped.com developed The Beard Hedger - a specialist shaver for your face bush. To get 20% off any order at manscaped.com and for free shipping, use our promo code LFP20.

For a chance to win a EUR100+ shaver (The Lawn Mover 5.0), share what you feel was the closest shave of this season thus far on any of our social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok)!

Also, we highly recommend the Bradt Travel Guide to Latvia by Paul Brummel! It is a legitimately excellent guide (approved by Dmitrijs!) that will make your visit to Latvia much, much more special and enjoyable!