Montenegro can lock up top spot in League C2 and take automatic promotion with a game to spare when they host Latvia at Stadion Pod Goricom on Thursday night. A win would be enough if Cyprus drop points earlier in the day, turning a final-round game into a prize already secured.
The search around Montenegro vs Latvia comes now because the match sits at the sharp end of the group. Montenegro have collected 10 points from their opening four fixtures and are already guaranteed a top-two finish, but this is the chance to finish the job early. Latvia, by contrast, arrive bottom of the table with one point and six points behind Cyprus in the promotion-playoff place.
The clearest reason Montenegro are in this position is the run they have put together. They were unbeaten through the September and October window, winning three straight before a goalless draw with Armenia on October 5, and they beat Latvia 2-1 in October as well. Vasilije Adzic scored twice in that game, the sort of sharp contribution that has helped keep Montenegro on course for a return to League B.
Latvia’s slide is harder to square with where they were earlier in the year. They avoided relegation to League D in March with a two-legged success over Gibraltar, yet have managed only two competitive victories since a 1-0 win at Andorra in March 2025. They have also drawn their past two matches at Stadion Pod Goricom, which gives them at least a recent comfort level in this setting even if the table says otherwise.
Montenegro, though, have had the better of this matchup for years. They have faced Latvia five times over the past 14 years and are unbeaten in every meeting, a record that adds weight to the home side’s chance to finish the group with authority. Stefan Lonar will not be available after his red card against Armenia, while Marko Jankovic is likely to keep his place in the starting XI and Milutin Osmajic brings 10 senior international goals to the attack.
There is still one wrinkle. Montenegro can do everything right and still need Cyprus to stumble earlier in the day to confirm promotion immediately. That makes Thursday night more than a routine home fixture: it is a possible finishing line, and for Latvia it is another reminder that a team which survived League D in March is now staring at a group stage that has gone badly wrong.
