15th Futsal A League Round – A Do-or-Die Battle in Kėdainiai

2025-01-17 12:23

The regular season of the "TOPsport futsal A league" is inexorably coming to an end. This weekend, teams will play the matches of the fifteenth round, among which the central duel will be between the two teams occupying the lowest positions, "Kėdainiai United" and "VGTU Vilkai." The winner of this match will start the new week not in the last place of the tournament table.

"The Kėdainiai team is combative and plays aggressively, and due to disqualifications, we won't have our full squad. Because of this, they will be somewhat favored. Of course, the outcome in such matches will also depend on luck. In the event of a tie, we will see how things unfold, but for now, I think we might change the goalkeeper to a fifth player towards the end of the game," said "VGTU Vilkai" manager Marijus Rimas.

"The victory will go to whoever wants to win more and makes fewer mistakes. It's very difficult to designate a favorite in such matches, but since we will be playing at home, there should be at least some slight advantage on our side. We will only be satisfied with three points - there is no turning back for our team, so we are going for a win every time," said "Kėdainiai United" player Rokas Mikuckis, who helped secure victory against "Gargždų pramogas" a week ago.

In other matches, Mažeikiai VIP will host the Jonavos "Vikingai," who have risen to third place. The latter won 11:3 against "Radviliškis" in the postponed 16th round match on Wednesday. The Mažeikiai team lost their last encounter 0:8 to "Kauno Žalgiris."

"This season, VIP is more unpredictable; they have experienced players who have been playing together for multiple seasons. Additionally, they are playing at home, where it is always difficult for us. The gym is smaller than ours, and we are not used to it, unlike VIP, who can compress more in defense.

We have three days between matches, but physically we are prepared well, so it shouldn't impact the upcoming matches. Moreover, we know that we cannot afford to make mistakes, so we will go to Žemaitija looking only for victory," said Paulius Osauskas.

The current sporting form of the "Vikings" is such that… it will be challenging. Of course, things can always turn around while playing, especially since we will be playing at home. We will go out to fight only for a positive result, regardless of whether the opponents are in good form or not. We will play our game and then see what the final result will be. We hope for a good battle and a positive outcome," said Rokas Gecevičius from VIP.

Very important matches will take place in Akmenė between "Akmenės kraštas" and Vilkaviškio "Bruklinas." The former is still hoping to rise to fifth place, while the latter is attempting to return among the three strongest teams in the league.

"I think everyone is waiting for "Akmenės kraštas" and their legionnaires to break through and start climbing to the positions they should be in. It would be nice if that didn't happen this weekend while playing against "Bruklinas" (smiling).

We must play a patient team game, as they have players who can perform individually well. And we haven’t had rest, as we've been playing cup matches, but the difference in levels has not given us a positive preparation for these matches. Akmenė is a principled rival, so the fight is expected to the last minutes," shared his thoughts Gintaras Čibirka.

The last match of the round at Kaunas Sports Hall will be played on Sunday. Having secured victory against "Radviliškis" and with favorable circumstances, "Kauno Žalgiris" can secure the title of the regular season winner this weekend. Furthermore, this will be the last match for Kaunas before the decisive battles of the Baltic League.

"There will definitely be no shortage of motivation. We want to go onto the court, do our job, and relax peacefully. We usually focus on our game, as poor play on our part is often our own fault, so we do not look at the opponents' pitfalls. I believe we can expect quite a few opportunities in this match, so it will be very important to convert them as best as we can, as this can be one of the highlights before the Baltic League," commented Justinas Zagurskas.

Schedule for Round 15:

January 18 at 12:00 - VIP vs. "Vikingai"

January 18 at 13:00 - "Akmenės kraštas" vs. "Bruklinas"

January 18 at 18:00 - "Kėdainiai United" vs. "VGTU Vilkai"

January 19 at 14:00 - "Kauno Žalgiris" vs. "Radviliškis"