O. Verbickas and V. Čeburinas reviewed the upcoming Conference League matches

2024-07-11 14:31 © E. Žaldario

The long wait is over - on Thursday, "Žalgiris" begins its journey in European tournaments. In the first barrier of the UEFA Conference League qualifying round, the Vilnius team will face Vasas VPS club.

Similar conditions
After 66 years in Vasa arriving on Wednesday evening, "Žalgiris" tried out the match venue - an artificial turf similar to the one at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius. The pitch was watered before the teams' training sessions, but rain is expected all day in Vasa on Thursday, so watering before the match may not be necessary.

The match will take place at the "Hietalahti" stadium (officially known as "Lemonsoft"), which has been in this location since 1936. Three decades ago, there were no longer any running tracks at the stadium, but in 2016 the stadium underwent a major renovation - three new stands were built for almost 17 million euros, accommodating 4.6 thousand spectators.

One old stand remains at the stadium, which is not used due to safety reasons, but for now it remains standing as a cultural heritage.

About 70 enthusiasts from Lithuania are expected to attend the match in Finland.

Important match

In the last four seasons, "Žalgiris" has surpassed the first stage of UEFA tournaments, but this time they will meet representatives from a country that is ranked higher in the UEFA club rankings than Lithuania.

In a press conference held yesterday, "Žalgiris" coach Vladimir Čeburinas spoke briefly. "Both teams are starting the Conference League. Both teams have analyzed each other, drawn conclusions. They have prepared their tactics, plans. We watched the opponent's actions attacking and defending. Interesting match ahead. Two styles will clash. We will try to solve our tasks," said the coach.

The captain of "Žalgiris", Ovidijus Verbickas, already has experience playing against Finns, as in 2016 he played for Klaipėda's "Atlantas" against Helsinki's HJK.

"We are all looking forward to the match. It's very important for us. We had a weekly cycle to prepare. I think the coach provided a lot of useful information. If we manage to execute everything on the pitch, we can achieve a positive result. That's why we came here," said the team captain Ovidijus Verbickas.

Differing views on favorites

Last season, Vasa team which finished 3rd in the Finnish championship will be playing in European tournaments for the 6th time.

VPS coach Jussi Nuorela stated that he does not consider his team as favorites: "We know that the opponents are a big club in the country, they have been champions thrice in recent times and once runners-up, and have many players of high skill. I think Žalgiris is the favorite, but this situation suits us, we are ready. First matches can always surprise."

The coach also noted that in a match between Finnish and Lithuanian clubs on Tuesday, HJK lost as guests to "Panevėžys" with a score of 0:3. Interestingly, this season VPS defeated HJK away with a score of 2:1.

"We saw how HJK played against another Lithuanian club. The result came as a big surprise, but it also partly reflects the level of your league. We do not underestimate the opponents," said J. Nuorela.