ZÜRICH, Switzerland — If FK Ventspils are to turn around a 0-3 deficit when they come up against FC Zürich in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying round tonight, they will set the record books.

In the history of the UEFA Champions League, no team has previously gone on to win a tie after losing by three goals in a home leg. Further to the detriment of Ventspils is the fact that in the 49 UEFA games that Zürich have previously played at home, they have only twice succumbed to a score higher than that which Ventspils need to achieve if they are to progress any further. It is indeed a huge ask for the boys from Ventspils to turn this one around, but the thought of the lucrative Champions League is sure to spur them on.

One of the biggest hopes for the Latvian team is for their opponent to become complacent and slip into a defensive style of football. If Ventspils are to score first and early, then the tides may begin to change and a miracle may begin to unfold. For this to happen, prolific goalscorer and captain Hannu Tihinen needs to be a lot more on target than he was in the first leg in Riga.

balticreports.com prediction:
After being horribly off target in its previous prediction, balticreports.com is going to against the trend and predicts that Ventspils will come agonizingly close before falling short of forcing extra-time with a 2-0 win.