Hamrun Spartans vs RFS prediction, H2H and probable line-ups - August 21, 2025
One of the UEFA Conference League playoff clashes will take place on Thursday at the Ta' Qali National Stadium, where Maltese side Hamrun Spartans host Latvian outfit RFS. I’m backing a bet on goals in this encounter, with good chances for success.
Match preview
The Maltese club began their European journey in the Champions League, but after being knocked out by Dynamo Kyiv and then losing to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League qualifiers, they found themselves in the Conference League. In their last 12 matches on the continental stage, the Spartans have lost nine times and won just twice — highlighting their limited potential.
Nonetheless, Hamrun strive to play attacking football: almost all of their recent European games have featured goals at both ends. In the Maltese league, the team looks average, but on home soil, they know how to put up a fight against more high-profile opponents.
The Latvian side also started out in the Champions League, but after being eliminated by Malmo, dropped into the Europa League, where they fell to Finnish club KuPS. Now, the team is focusing on the Conference League, hoping to repeat last season’s achievement when RFS reached the Europa League group stage.
In recent games, the Latvians have alternated between wins and losses, but their attack keeps firing: in four of their last five matches, the team has scored at least twice. However, defense remains an issue — RFS have rarely kept a clean sheet in European competitions.
Probable line-ups
- Hamrun Spartans: Bonello; Compagno, Polito, Belicic, Camenzuli; Thun, Chademovic, Ederson, Mbong; Coric; Kofi.
- RFS: Maric, Savalnieks, Veips, Lipuscek, Filipovic, Rakic, Panic, Diedu, Zelenkovs, Talla, Ikaunieks
Match facts and head-to-head
- Hamrun have lost nine of their last 12 European matches.
- RFS have failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 of their last 16 games on the continental stage.
- This will be the first-ever European meeting between these two clubs.
Prediction
Both teams have shown defensive frailties but consistently find the net. Given the stats from their recent games, we can expect an open match with chances at both ends. My prediction for this one is "Both teams to score" at odds of 1.86.
