© E. Žaldario
Already this Thursday, the duel in Alytus of the "Optibet A League" championship moved to the second half. Alytus DFK "Dainava" - "Panevezys." July 1, 19:00 Alytus, Alytus City Stadium. Previous matches: 1:3, 0:3 The third round of the championship will start with interesting matches in Alytus. Although the Dainava team won only once in the last five "Optibet A League" matches, the results in the two lost matches against "Kauno Žalgiris" and "Hegelmann Litauen" from Kaunas region could have been different, it was close to a victory against "Sūduva" from Marijampolė. Home games are quite solid for Alytus, so it would be difficult to expect similar productivity against "Panevezys." Players left "Dainava" Titas Buzas, Latvian Robertas Zelmanis, and Paulius Golubickas who went to Croatia, while Martynas Vasiliauskas returned to the team. "Panevezys" successfully overcame the tough second half of June and managed to get closer to a couple of competitors on the tournament table. However, Jorge Elias, the team's top scorer, was disqualified and Elivelto, who earned four yellow cards, will also miss the match. These losses have reduced the attacking potential of Panevezys, but Sebastian Vasquez, a former Dainava player who excelled in matches in Kaunas, and Eligijus Jankauskas, will also be ready to show their best. Vilnius "Riteriai" - Vilnius "Žalgiris." July 2, 18:00 Vilnius. LFF stadium. Previous matches: 0:2, 1:1 The capital derby on Friday will be broadcast on the TV6 channel. "Riteriai" has not been distinguished by victories recently, but reaching a draw with the top two representatives can be viewed positively. For this match, the capital club will not have any disqualified players, and the form demonstrated by some attacking footballers causes concern for any opponent. Despite the fact that the Vilnius team ranks 6th and lags behind "Žalgiris" by an 18-point deficit, Valdas Trakys' troops are capable of defeating the favorites for another year in a row. Žalgiris goes into the match against two teams from the same city in high spirits. Vladimir Cheburin's team is 4 points ahead of the closest competitors and has a streak of three victories, during which they did not concede a goal. As usual, we can expect Hugo Videmont and Francis Kyeremeh to cause a lot of problems for the "Riteriai" - both fullbacks have scored a total of 14 goals. Milenas Gamakovas will definitely not help "Žalgiris" in the derby - the Bulgarian will not play due to disqualification. Gargždai "Banga" - Marijampolė "Sūduva." July 2, 20:00 Gargždai, Gargždai City Stadium. Previous matches: 1:2, 0:4 Having not won in five consecutive matches, "Sūduva" will clash with a resurgent opponent. "Banga" climbed to 7th place in the standings after defeating two neighbors and did not concede a goal in both victories. In some situations, luck was with Gargždai, but the more compact defense left a good impression, and it will be challenging for “Sūduva” to break through it. Aleksandras Aksionovas and Etienne Mukanya left the Gargždai club, but Simonas Urbys continues to play impressively. "Sūduva" has undergone many changes in its lineup. However, only forward Kule Mbombo played a significant role in the team, and among the absences, two disqualified players - Vaidas Slavickas and Semir Kerla. The more pressing issue for "Sūduva" is the dulled attack, as they have scored only 3 goals in the last five matches. "Sūduva" had time to recover after a busy schedule and will seek to return to a winning rhythm with two new arrivals. Kėdainiai "Nevėžis" - "Kauno Žalgiris." July 2, 20:00 Kėdainiai, Kėdainiai central stadium. Previous matches: 0:5, 1:2 Before the matches on the international front, "Žalgiris" will want to bounce back after a couple of unsuccessful matches. "Nevėžis" conceded only 2 goals in Vilnius and could be very grateful for the goalkeeper Sergius Melashenko, who played his best match of the season. The Kėdainiai team conceded significantly fewer goals in the second round than in the first, but has not won in four consecutive games. If the team’s captain Aretas Gegzna, who did not finish the match due to injury, cannot help the team in the match against "Žalgiris", the situation will become even more complicated. The once-leading "Kauno Žalgiris" has won only once in the last four matches, and their victory against "Dainava" was not very convincing. This can be attributed to the fact that one of the team's leaders, Gratas Sirgėdas, dropped out of the lineup, for whom the club found a replacement - the returning Edvinas Kloniūnas and the Japanese Yuma Suwa joined the team. "Kauno Žalgiris" demonstrated good play against "Panevezys" but it is noticeable that the opponents are increasingly taking advantage of the rough mistakes made by the Kaunas team. Telšiai "Džiugas" - Kauno rajono "Hegelmann Litauen." July 3, 17:00 Telšiai, Telšiai central stadium. Previous matches: 2:1, 1:1 The Kaunas region team, which has been undefeated for a long time, will face an unrivaled opponent. Džiugas had a noticeable advantage in ball control in the match against "Banga," but they failed to create too many dangerous moments against their direct competitor. Having won three games and played six times with a draw, "Džiugas" can improve its position in the upcoming matches. Debutant defender Miroslavas Puškarovas and Brazilian Jefferson, who will be able to participate in the next home match, will contribute to this. The players of "Hegelmann Litauen," who often achieve victories and look threatening in front of the goal, are led by Nauris Petkevičius, who scores goals one after another, the potentially dangerous newcomer Kyle Spence, providing opportunities for team-mates Yukiyoshi Karashima, with whom the contract was extended, and Levan Mačarašvilis, who is getting in better shape after an injury. The Kaunas regional team, with many aces up their sleeve, has a good chance to defeat their Saturday opponents on the third attempt.
