© EuroFootball.com
On Friday, the leaders of the "General Financing A League" - Vilnius "Žalgiris" and Panevėžys "Ekranas" - will meet in the XIV round of the championship. The round will start with the match between Alytus "Dainava" and Marijampolė "Sūduva", on Saturday, Vilnius "Reo" who have found the recipe for victories will face Klaipėda "Atlantas" who are trying to get rid of the "underdog" label, and rising "Šiauliai" will face Tauragė "Tauras". On Sunday, Gargždai "Banga" will try to stop Pakruojis "Kruoja".
"The level of the Lithuanian championship is undoubtedly higher than last year. The "Reo" team has joined with experienced players. In the league, teams like 'Kruoja', 'Dainava', 'Banga', and 'Tauras' have already shown their weaknesses," - evaluates football coach Nerijus Gudaitis.
To him, at the beginning of the season, it seemed that this year "Ekranas" would have a serious competitor - "Sūduva". Later, this team did not earn as many points as expected. According to N. Gudaitis, at the start of the season, the newcomer Rafael Ledesma from the Marijampolė team shone. Later, his brightness faded.
In the opinion of the former "Mažeikiai" strategist N. Gudaitis, this year, the third-place team “Kruoja” has also strengthened and the team “Šiauliai”, which started the season poorly in terms of composition, surprised the football specialist.
"That's what makes the championship interesting - some teams rise, others do not succeed. The final results will be determined by the players' skill," - believes N. Gudaitis.
He was impressed not only by R. Ledesma but also by the game of "Žalgiris" sniper Calum Elliott. The forward scored almost half of the team's goals - 12 out of 27. "I wonder how 'Žalgiris' would look if this goal-scoring machine did not play. Mantas Savėnas from 'Ekranas', in chess terms, is also a significant figure," said N. Gudaitis.
The football specialist misses more youth in the top league: "We cry that we did not raise players, but there is no integration into adult football. In the Soviet era, there had to be two 18-year-olds playing at the same time. Perhaps, for the sake of education, there should be a rule of one 19-year-old in the league? In the first league there are pairs of 18-year-olds, and in the second league - 17-year-olds? Children's coaches would be more interested."
Last year, "Mažeikiai" played in the top league. This year, the city's teams are not in any championship. N. Gudaitis hopes that next year the Mažeikiai team will play in the second league. The coach currently leads two children's football teams to victories - boys born in 1995 and 1997. N. Gudaitis also leads the newly created Mažeikiai football team "Atmosfera", created by coaches and parents to preserve football in Mažeikiai.
Tour expert N. Gudaitis humbled himself: "I'm not a good oracle, and the interest in the league is not as high as last year or the year before. However, I have seen each team at least through Futbolo.TV."
Alytus "Dainava" - Marijampolė "Sūduva" Date - May 25, 18:00. Location - Alytus City Stadium. Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV. Nerijus Gudaitis' prediction - 1:1.
In the central match of the round, the leaders of the "General Financing A League" - "Ekranas" and "Žalgiris" - will clash. The Panevėžys team currently leads with 34 points, while the Vilnius team, second with 29 points, this match is very important.
"It is difficult to find a person who could predict the outcome of this match. I predict that it will be a goalless draw. I do not rule out the possibility that one mistake will determine the winner," predicted N. Gudaitis.
The match will be a kind of repetition of the 2011/2012 Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) Cup final. On Sunday, after a penalty shoot-out, "Žalgiris" won. N. Gudaitis does not believe that "Ekranas" will seek revenge.
"You cannot blindly attack. There is no point in proving anything. The leader 'Ekranas' must act with a cold mind. The thought of scores should be pushed aside. The Panevėžys team is professional, so they need to quickly forget about those matches and focus on the championship," said N. Gudaitis.
The young coach from Mažeikiai believes that "Žalgiris" is in a better psychological state after winning the LFF Cup final. "The Vilnius team will also have external support - the energetic support of the South Stand. Plus, the specific turf of the LFF Stadium is a plus for 'Žalgiris.' There shouldn't be many goals in the match. Moreover, both 'Ekranas' and 'Žalgiris' have very experienced players," analyzed N. Gudaitis.
In his opinion, in the last match between both teams, "Ekranas" was greatly lacking the injured Mantas Savėnas. It is still unclear if he will play on Friday. The disqualified captain Algis Jankauskas will not play for "Žalgiris."
Vilnius "Reo" - Klaipėda "Atlantas" Date - May 26, 16:00. Location - Vilnius "Žalgiris" Stadium. Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV. Nerijus Gudaitis' prediction - 1:0.
In the match between the underdogs of the A League, "Reo" (12 points) will face "Atlantas" (7 points). Vilnius footballers are eighth, while Klaipėda is tenth.
"Reo" is currently more motivated, especially with the new coach, Valdas Ivanauskas. I predict that they will win by a minimum result of 1:0," predicted N. Gudaitis.
The football specialist attributes the victory of "Reo" to a calmer preparation for the season: "Atlantas" is still getting into gear. However, the team has experienced players, so they are gradually improving. The mutual understanding between 'Atlantas' is getting better as time goes on."
The Klaipėda team has scored three goals in 13 rounds. The last goal by "Atlantas" was against "Banga". The header by debutant Deividas Peištaras in the 94th minute brought Klaipėda an equalizer and a point.
"The poor performance in scoring goals is due to physical condition. Although the team is represented by capable players, they lack physical preparation. There are also those who have not joined any club but agreed to help," said N. Gudaitis.
The Lithuanian counted that "Reo" under V. Ivanauskas had gained six points in three matches. The Vilnius team scored as many points as Stasys Baranauskas' team in the first ten rounds. "It cannot be said that six points is a bad result. There is emotional progress," evaluated N. Gudaitis.
One of the football portals, penalty.lt, reported that officially appointed as a consultant to "Reo", V. Ivanauskas is making the club more professional. The team has two doctors, said farewell to several players who could not reconcile sports and work. Long-time captain Andzejus Romeiko left the team, as did defenders Edgaras Rukštelė and Vikentijus Ivanovas, and goalkeeper Andrius Miliškevičius.
In the first-round match between "Atlantas" and "Reo" in Gargždai ended in a goalless draw - 0:0. Mindaugas Grigalevičius received a red card in that match.
Šiauliai" - Tauragės "Tauras" Date - May 26, 18:00. Location - Šiauliai City Municipality Stadium. Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV. Nerijus Gudaitis' prediction - 2:0.
Still experiencing a renaissance, "Šiauliai" (15 points) will host "Tauras" (10 points) at home. The hosts are fifth, and the guests are ninth.
"According to the league table, 'Šiauliai' should win. I predict a 2:0 victory. However, it will not be easy for them," the expert of Futbolo.TV predicted.
N. Gudaitis compared "Šiauliai" to a fluctuating team: "The residents of Šiauliai can win or lose. The team lacks able, experienced, stable, and motivated players. However, they lack team cohesion experience.
N. Gudaitis labeled "Banga" as an average team in the league: "In Gargždai, they don't concede many goals, they play well. The team has experienced players - Aurelijus Staponka, a good goalkeeper. They often lose in the last minutes. They lack luck. The coach compiled the team according to financial possibilities. 'Banga' is a tough nut to crack for any opponent."
The former ROMAR captain believes that the defeat of "Banga" does not have an impact on the last round, when they let the victory slip from their hands against "Atlantas": "The support in Gargždai is excellent, so they can win against anyone."
Captain Giedrius Slavickas, who has not played in the season yet, could return to "Kruoja."
In the fifth round, "Tauras" defeated their opponents with a score of 1:0 in Panevėžys. Lukas Martišauskis from Tauragė scored the winning goal in the 91st minute.
"Šiauliai" will face Tauras" in the last round. After experiencing a difficult season start, the residents of Šiauliai appointed Gediminas Jarmalavičius as the head coach. He celebrated two victories - 5:1 against "Atlantas" and 4:0 against "Kruoja". Later, two matches with the favorites ended in draws - 3:3 against "Sūduva" and 2:2 against "Ekranas".
"The team is on the rise. Victories do not come out of thin air. I read that 'Šiauliai' was in turmoil. I wonder why. Perhaps emotionally, perhaps there were conflicts... Now it is clear that Jarmalavičius brought the team out of the pit," said N. Gudaitis.
A few seasons ago, the fight between "Tauras" and "Šiauliai" for a spot in the UEFA Europa League was intense. "Tauras" surpassed Šiauliai and finished fourth. This year, the Tauragė team is fighting to stay in the league.
"As finances are, so is the composition. 'Tauras' invested heavily in improving infrastructure. People have excellent conditions to work - play and practice. I think that this year the Tauragė team will aim to stay in the A League, and later they will have a stronger lineup," looked ahead N. Gudaitis.
In a round V match, "Tauras" won 1:0 at home. Tomas Miklinevičius, who missed the previous round due to injury, scored the winning goal in the 8th minute.
"At that time 'Šiauliai' was in turmoil. Also, it was the start of the season, so not all teams were yet settled into their routines. The first rounds were more of a scouting nature. Sometimes match results were also determined by coincidences," N. Gudaitis did not exaggerate the loss of the Šiauliai team.
Gargždų "Banga" - Pakruojo "Kruoja" Date - May 27, 18:00. Location - Gargždai Stadium. Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV. Nerijus Gudaitis' prediction - 0:1.
Featuring a robust aim for the medals, "Kruoja" (25 points) will face "Banga" (12 points). The Pakruojis team is currently in third place, while the Gargždai team is seventh.
"Kruoja" is expected to win. I still maintain the opinion that the match will not be goal-rich - 1:0. However, if I am wrong, the viewers will be even more interested. I want to see as many goals as possible," said N. Gudaitis.
He evaluated "Kruoja" as a fluctuating team: "The people from Pakruojis can both win and lose. The team lacks capable, experienced, stable, motivated players. However, they lack team cohesion experience."
N. Gudaitis described "Banga" as an average team in the league: "The people of Gargždai do not concede many goals at their stadium, they play well. The team has experienced players - Aurelijus Staponka, a good goalkeeper. They often lose in the last minutes. They lack luck. The coach compiled the team according to financial possibilities. 'Banga' is a tough nut to crack for any opponent."
The former ROMAR captain believes that the defeat of "Banga" does not have an impact on the last round, when they let the victory slip from their hands against "Atlantas": "The support in Gargždai is excellent, so they can win against anyone."
Captain Giedrius Slavickas, who has not played in the season yet, could return to "Kruoja."
In the fifth round, "Tauras" defeated their opponents with a score of 1:0 in Panevėžys. Lukas Martišauskis from Tauragė scored the winning goal in the 91st minute.
