Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has warned supporters Ventspils are a huge improvement on the last Latvian club the Dons faced in the Europa League.
The Reds host Ventspils tomorrow in the second qualifying round first leg, just two years after thrashing their last Latvian opponents, Daugava Riga, 8-0 on aggregate.
However, the Aberdeen manager, who has not ruled out adding to his squad before tonight’s midnight deadline for registering a player for this round, insists supporters expecting a comfortable passage to the third qualifying round should think again.
He said: “Ventspils deserve loads of respect, they are way ahead of what Dauguva Riga were.
“They have a several Latvian internationals in their team, they have Girts Karlsons up front. He has more than 50 caps and has scored 10 goals in the last 12 matches.
“They have really capable players, are sitting third in their league and score a lot of goals.
“They play 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, get the ball forward and get crosses into the box. They are team used to winning, so I think there’s no comparison to the last Latvian opposition we had.”
The focus is firmly on the Latvians but there has been no escaping the loss in Luxembourg last week to Fola Esch when the Dons were given an almighty scare.
A 1-0 defeat in Luxembourg was not enough to prevent the Dons going through to the second qualifying round with the 3-1 home win ultimately proving decisive across the two legs.
McInnes is keen to put the poor performance behind him and does not expect a repeat from his side. He reiterated his belief his players can learn from their disappointing display last week.
He said: “You have to bring two strong performances in Europe against anyone, the Fola Esch game showed that.
“We were lucky to get through and it’s a reminder that if you have one bad performance in Europe then there’s a good chance you’ll go out.
“Fola Esch played the game like a cup final, they showed the intensity it needed but I don’t want to dwell on it now.
“We got through the tie and deserved to over the two legs but what we need to learn is don’t put it at risk.
“The intensity and mindset is so important going into this week’s game.
“We’ve had a warning of what can happen when you’re not switched on.”
Niall McGinn, who was rested last week, has returned and is in the squad for tomorrow’s game while new signing Miles Storey is also added.
Willo Flood is likely to miss out due to a back injury, while Cammy Smith is expected to complete the formalities of his loan move to Dundee United this week.
