A review of the A league round: who benefited from the break?

2024-03-29 17:32 © Elvio Žaldario

From Friday to Sunday, five matches of the fifth round will take place in the "TOPsport A Lyga".

Gargzdai "Banga" - Telsiai "Dziugas". On March 29, at 19:00. Gargzdai, Gargzdai City Stadium.

If Gargzdai wins at home, the Telsiai team would be in trouble based on points.

The start of the season for "Banga" is evaluated excellently - in matches against last season's top four teams, they managed to earn 5 points. David Afonso's team kept a clean sheet twice, even without Justinas Janusevskis. In the upcoming weeks, Gargzdai will face direct competitors, and a victory at home on Friday would even allow them to break into the top three. Especially since historically the matchups between the teams have been more successful for "Banga".

Last year, "Dziugas" managed to defeat "Banga" for the first time in their 11th attempt, and it was done as visitors. The representatives of Žemaitija currently lead the tournament standings, aiming to collect almost half of last season's points in the upcoming match. However, they will need to mobilize as their defense will be weakened due to the absence of Tomas Rapalavicius, and the team also recently parted ways with the active Cameroonian player Christian Bella.

Kaunas District "Hegelmann" - "Panevezys". On March 30, at 15:00. Kaunas, LFF Kaunas Training Stadium.

The defending champions will try to suppress the powerful offense of their opponents.

The blue and white team quickly recovered from the setback in the first round and earned 7 points in the next three matches against one of the favorites of the championship. The "Hegelmann" team did not keep a clean sheet in any match and always conceded the first goal, but they responded with at least two goals. Although the Kaunas District team has a shallow rotation, almost all starting attacking players have scored goals. The defense of the champions "Panevezys" has suffered the most since Andrius Skerla's departure last year.

"Panevezys" is the only team that has not scored a single goal yet and is currently at the bottom of the standings after two draws. Last week, "Panevezys" introduced a new player, Nemanja Bosancic, and his debut as an attacking midfielder could happen in the upcoming match. The team from the capital of Aukstaitija will play against an opponent who may pay less attention to defense for the first time this season.

FA "Siauliai" - Vilnius District "TransINVEST". On March 30, at 17:00. Siauliai, "Gytaurai" Stadium.

The championship debutants will face a new head coach in the city of the Sun.

The team from Siauliai, who has not yet suffered a defeat, achieved a very important victory against "Kaunas Zalgiris" and is fourth with 6 points. In FA "Siauliai", the most productive player is Latvian Davis Ikauniekas, whose importance in attack could increase even further. Due to injuries, the team will be without Eligijus Jankauskas, Donatas Kazlauskas, and Vytas Gaspuitis, and Mantas Kuklys is still trying to return to his usual form. Despite all the setbacks, the Siauliai fans are truly grateful for the team's second victory.

The Vilnius District team became the first to make changes in the head coach position. After a few years' break, Donatas Vencevicius returns from Poland to work in the "TOPsport A Lyga". It is symbolic that Mindaugas Cepas, his assistant at that time, succeeded D. Vencevicius at the post in 2017 with "Jonava". The TransINVEST players suffered defeats in the recent three matches, but with some changes and having significant potential, they could return unbeaten from the city of the Sun.

Marijampole "Suduva" - Alytus DFK "Dainava". On March 31, at 15:00. Marijampole, Marijampole Football Arena Manege.

Teams with 5 points in the tournament standings will start the Sunday matches.

Before the international break, the Marijampole team played two radically different matches. After a dramatic victory against the champion "Suduva", they failed to break the defense of "Dziugas" and suffered their first defeat of the season due to serious mistakes. Until 2021, "Dainava" did not lose in the matches against "Suduva" in the "TOPsport A Lyga", but since then, they have managed to beat their opponents at least once per season. So far, former "Dainava" midfielder Klavs Kramenas has not debuted in the Marijampole club - the Latvian is still recovering from an injury.

The defense of the Dainava team, which has conceded only one goal in four matches, leaves a good impression, and Artiomas Baftalovskis, who spoke in the attack once, contributed to the first victory. Although "Dainava" has several players who have not yet shown their potential, the overall style of play suggests that fans can expect a low-scoring match this coming Sunday. Most of Alytus players debuted this season, and perhaps in Marijampole, we will see Rokas Stanulevicius return to Lithuania for the first time.

Kauno Zalgiris - Vilnius "Zalgiris". On March 31, at 18:25. Kaunas, Darius and Girenas Stadium.

The match broadcast from the Darius and Girenas Stadium will be available on the LRT Plius channel.

Kauno Zalgiris is not satisfied with the start of the season - they have experienced two defeats against direct competitors and their victory against debutants was not convincing. The national team break was beneficial for Glen Stahl's team, but in the upcoming match, two suspended players - Zan Benedicic and Armandas Kucys - will not play. Last week in a friendly match, the team from Kaunas defeated Daugavpils BFC "Daugavpils" with two goals scored by Filip Dangubic. The fate of the upcoming match may depend on the performance of the Croatian player.

Like "Suduva", "Zalgiris" also had a drastically different week before the international break. After a great victory in Gargzdai, the Vilnius team's defense faltered - they were defeated by "Hegelmann" players and missed the opportunity to stay at the top of the standings. Perhaps there will be changes in the starting lineup that could affect the goalkeeper position - Serbian player Dusan Markovic is ready for his debut. Both teams have been exchanging wins in recent years, so fans can expect an unpredictable match on Easter Sunday.