A league announcement: champions and runners-up will face off

2024-06-14 19:29 © Pauliaus Židonio

Next weekend, five matches of the 17th round will be played in the "TOPsport A Lyga."

Kaunas district "Hegelmann" - Marijampole "Sūduva". On June 15, at 16:00, Akademija, President Valdas Adamkus VDU Sports Center. Previous match: 1-0.

Marijampole guests will seek revenge for the defeat in the first round.

"Hegelmann" players entered the national team break in great spirits - they have earned 11 points in the last five matches. The injury of main goalkeeper Vincent Šarkauskas didn't cost them too much, as replacement Arijus Bražinskas kept the goal "dry" three times. Andrius Skerla's team has 29 points and ranks second, but the schedule until mid-July will be very difficult, and if they succeed they will have a serious chance to win the championship medals for the first time.

Following a very disappointing start to the season, Marijampole club scored a crucial victory against Gargzdai "Bang" and climbed to 6th place. The next matches will be without one of the leaders Steve Lawson due to disqualification, but Darius Stankevičius has returned to the lineup to help the team along with several other players who did not play against "Bang." "Sūduva" faces four very difficult matches in a row, and if they perform similarly to the first round, they can solidify their position in the middle of the tournament table.

FA "Šiauliai" - Telšiai "Džiugas". On June 15, at 17:00, Šiauliai, Šiauliai City Stadium. Previous match: 1-2.

The representatives of the Sun City will have the opportunity to break a poor streak at home.

The two-week break was crucial for Šiauliai psychologically - they suffered three defeats in the last four matches before the break. The team's position in the table is unsatisfactory: after 16 matches, FA "Šiauliai" has earned 17 points and is in eighth place. However, they are only two points away from the fifth place, so in the coming weeks, Šiauliai will have a favorable schedule and will aim to prove their status as favorites. The return of last season's top scorer Eligijus Jankauskas to the squad is a positive sign - perhaps we will see him in the starting lineup.

During the break, Telšiai "Džiugas" also benefited from the time off. Coached by Andrius Lipskis, the players suffered two losses by small margins and dropped to third place. Marius Paukštė, Bacary Sane, Dejan Trajkovski, Christian Bella, David Brazao, and several other players were unable to help Džiugas, but we can expect some of them to return in June. After overcoming the technical defeat experienced last season, the Telšiai team often manage to take points from their upcoming opponents.

Gargzdai "Bang" - Vilnius district "TransINVEST". On June 15, at 18:00, Gargzdai, Gargzdai City Stadium. Previous match: 1-0.

The championship debutants will travel to Gargzdai for the first time this season.

David Afonso's team had good opportunities to secure a place in the top five, but they lost both matches to direct competitors. After a couple of recent setbacks, "Bang" has 19 points and is positioned in the middle of the tournament table. The Gargzdai team has only achieved one victory at home this season against the champions - most of their points were collected in away matches. In the upcoming match, the hosts will be without the important player Cesinha due to disqualification.

The Vilnius district club will start competing internationally in July, but until then, they will aim to improve their position in the tournament table. "TransINVEST" players sit in last place with 13 points, and in the upcoming transfer window, which will start in less than a week, they will try to improve their ranks. Earlier, the newcomers bid farewell to Brazilian player Yuri de Oliveira, and during one period, they had many injured players, with Gustas Jarusevičius being the most recent loss before the national team break.

Alytus DFK "Dainava" - "Kauno Žalgiris". On June 15, at 19:00, Alytus, Alytus City Stadium. Previous match: 0-1.

New Žalgiris coach Saulius Širmelis will make his debut in the capital of Dzūkija.

Dainava has shown a lackluster attack in the first half of the season, but their solid defense has kept them in the middle of the tournament table. In matches at Alytus City Stadium, "Dainava" has scored only one goal in four matches. They will be missing forward Dmytro Mandrychenko for the upcoming matches, and without him, their offense will be even weaker. If the Moldovan and Ukrainian national does not appear on the field, 19-year-old Davoras Rakičius will get another chance.

The national team break affected "Kauno Žalgiris" in two ways. The representatives of "Kauno Žalgiris" scored goals in the Lithuanian national team, but changes were made in the head coach position. Temporary coach Nerijus Mačiulis was replaced by Saulius Širmelis, who was recently at "Sūduva" in 2020. The experienced 68-year-old football specialist takes over the club with 23 points and occupies fourth place. If circumstances are favorable, the Kaunas team can move up in the standings. The return of Filipas Dangubičius is also encouraging, however, they will be without Oyinlola Kayode for three matches due to disqualification.

Vilnius "Žalgiris" - "Panevėžys". On June 16, at 18:25, Vilnius, LFF Stadium. Previous match: 2-1.

You can watch the clash between two of the strongest teams from last season on the LRT Plius channel.

"Žalgiris" is only competing for the title in the local league, but they feel very confident in the race already - with 37 points in hand and an 8-point lead over their closest competitors. Vilnius secured two wins with minimal results against "Panevėžys" in 2024, but in the upcoming match, they will be without the disqualified defender Yukiyoshi Karashima. Vice champions Paulius Golubickas and Giedrius Matulevičius faced a significant load during the national team break and may play crucial roles in this match.

"Panevėžys" ended a poor streak before the national team break with a victory and climbed out of last place. However, they faced a very unpleasant episode more than a week before when Tomas Švedkauskas, who had been performing well, joined the injured Vytautas Černiauskas. Panevėžys introduced a new goalkeeper Emilis Timbura, but he will not be able to play in the upcoming matches. If V. Černiauskas does not return to the lineup, 20-year-old Danielis Bukelis will make his championship debut. In addition, Robertas Mazanis will miss the match due to disqualification.