Riga vs Kairat Almaty

Riga play Kairat Almaty in matchweek 1 of the UEFA Europa Conference League league stage on Thursday 15 October 2026 at Skonto stadions in Riga. The Latvian hosts enter the fixture on a five-match unbeaten run in European competition, while their opponents have suffered four consecutive defeats without scoring.

Riga win three consecutive European home fixtures

Riga navigated qualification for the league phase without suffering a defeat in their last five outings. At Skonto stadions, the home side recorded three successive victories: a 5-2 win against Vardar Skopje on 28 July 2026, a 1-0 result against Gyori ETO FC on 6 August 2026, and a 2-1 win over KI Klaksvik on 27 August 2026. Away from home, Riga earned a 1-1 draw against Gyori ETO FC on 13 August 2026 and a 0-0 draw against KI Klaksvik on 20 August 2026. Across those five matches, Riga scored nine goals and conceded four.

Kairat Almaty scoreless in four consecutive European defeats

Kairat Almaty travel to Latvia having failed to score across their last four matches in continental competition. After opening their qualifying campaign with a 1-0 home victory against Omonia Nicosia on 29 July 2026 in UEFA Champions League qualifying, they were defeated 1-0 away at Levski Sofia on 4 August 2026 and lost 1-0 at home in the return leg on 11 August 2026. The Kazakhstani side then dropped into the UEFA Europa League play-offs, where they were beaten 3-0 at home by Anderlecht on 20 August 2026 before suffering another 3-0 defeat in the second leg away at Anderlecht on 27 August 2026. That sequence leaves Kairat Almaty with eight goals conceded and zero scored in their last four competitive fixtures.

Our model expects a Riga win

Our model expects a Riga win. That assessment aligns with the recent records of both clubs: Riga have won all three of their European fixtures at Skonto stadions this season, whereas Kairat Almaty have lost four straight games across European competition without finding the net.