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"General Financing A Lyga" XXX round will start on Saturday in Tauragė, where "Tauras" will play against Panevėžys "Ekranas". After the match in Vilnius, the central match of the round will take place - the capital's "Žalgiris" against Pakruojis "Kruoja". On Sunday, "Šiauliai" will play at home against Marijampolės "Sūduva", and on Monday Alytus "Dainava" will play against Klaipėda "Atlantas".
Futbolo.TV round expert Stasys Baranauskas highlighted two central matches of the round - "Žalgiris" - "Kruoja" and "Šiauliai" - "Sūduva".
"They should be very interesting for the viewers. Ekranas needs to win in Tauragė. The Dainava - Atlantas match could be entertaining and high-scoring," - evaluated the round S. Baranauskas.
In his opinion, this year's championship, "if not for the Reo circus, would be the most entertaining in recent years." There are no longer teams that lose by large margins. Kruoja has improved, Šiauliai as well.
Legendary Lithuanian footballer S. Baranauskas is pleased that the Lithuanian championship began with great intrigue. It hasn't waned - Ekranas and Žalgiris continue to actively compete.
"The Panevėžys team was stronger at the beginning of the season. Currently, Žalgiris is playing well. Sūduva could also pick up the pace," said S. Baranauskas. "It's unfortunate that Reo disappeared, which had good players. One of them - the accomplished Dariušas Zachaževskis. I feel guilty because I created that team, brought it to the highest league. Not a pretty crown for seven years of work. If I knew it would end like this, I wouldn't have started this activity."
The coach is sorry that Kruoja, preparing for a responsible season, is struggling, but he is glad that Atlantas is playing well recently. The arrivals of legionnaires in the middle of the season have injected life into Atlantas.
"A completely different situation from last year, when Atlantas lost to everyone and often by large margins. If the same team remains, next year's championship will be much more interesting. Klaipėda deserves to have a good team. It survived thanks to Vacys Lekevičius. There are different examples - Vilnius "Vėtra", "Reo", "Mažeikiai", Kaunas "Inkaras" or "Kaunas" disappeared," said S. Baranauskas.
The Vilnius native, bidding farewell to Reo in May, endeavors not to miss the matches of the capital's Žalgiris. S. Baranauskas, one of the coaches of the Lithuanian Under-21 national team, often watches the matches on Futbolo.TV.
Tauragė's "Tauras" - Panevėžys "Ekranas"
Date - September 22, 3:00 p.m.
Location - Tauragė "Vytautas" stadium.
Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV.
Stasys Baranauskas' prediction - 0:3.
The "Ekranas" (67 points) - "Tauras" (20 points) match will take place in Tauragė. The Panevėžys team is first in the Lithuanian championship, while the Tauragians, who have conceded the most goals (75), are in eighth place.
"It's the end of this season, so we shouldn't expect any surprises. Ekranas must win. I think the match will end 3:0," predicted S. Baranauskas.
The former player of "Žalgiris," "Ekranas," and "Kareda" is of the opinion that "Tauras" plays according to its capabilities in the A league. The Italian coach Giovanni Scanu, who delights the audience with his antics, adds to the show. The Tauragė team also has experienced players - Marius Kižys, Tomas Sirevičius.
S. Baranauskas does not write off "Tauras," but acknowledges that the "Ekranas" team, which has lost good players like Ramūnas Radavičius, Mano Savėnas, and Andrius Velička, is better equipped and has stronger players.
The Panevėžys team has developed a winning mentality. For several years in a row, they have become champions. And this year, there have been games where Ekranas managed to snatch victory in the last minutes. These are matches in Marijampolė and Šiauliai," evaluated S. Baranauskas.
The 50-year-old former Lithuanian national team defender does not believe that the psychological aspect is hindering Ekranas - the Panevėžys team can't be scattering points; they have to fight and strive. S. Baranauskas is confident that the team understands this. "If you want to be a champion, you must win," affirms the Futbolo.TV round expert.
The "Vytautas" stadium in Tauragė is often criticized for its poor quality. S. Baranauskas recalled an old Russian saying - "a bad dancer and...". In the football specialist's opinion, the assertion that it is easier to defend on a poor field is incorrect. The weather is the same for both teams.
Before the match, Ekranas striker Egidijus Varnas highlighted the importance of a strong start to the game and quick goals. The 37-year-old sniper does not expect an easy victory - there are no easy points, you have to play, fight, score goals against all opponents.
"We can't relax. The value of each victory, approaching the end of the championship, is huge," emphasized E. Varnas on the importance of the match.
This year, "Ekranas" has beaten opponents in Panevėžys twice by 5:0. This was achieved on March 25 (20 minutes Marko Andjelkovičius, 61 min. Aurimas Vertelis, 73 min. M. Savėnas, 84 min. Vytautas Lukša, 89 min. Mantas Samusiovas) and on July 28 (14 min. Žilvinas Kymantas, 54 and 70 min. Vitalijus Kavaliauskas, 56 min Aurimas Kučys, 89 min. Arsenijus Buinickis). On May 12 in Tauragė, "Ekranas" won a tougher match 2:1 (4 min. M. Savėnas, 35 min. A. Velička; 84 min. Tomas Sirevičius).
Vilnius "Žalgiris" - Pakruojo "Kruoja"
Date - September 22, at. 5:00 p.m.
Location - Lithuanian Football Federation stadium.
Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV.
S. Baranauskas' prediction - 2:1.
S. Baranauskas promised that this match will take place at the LFF stadium. The coach recalled that in the last Vilnius match, "Kruoja" won 2:0. Despite his sympathies for the Pakruojis team, the football specialist does not believe that such a result can be repeated.
"These are decisive matches, so the Vilnius team can no longer scatter points. I am inclined to believe that 'Žalgiris' will win, but the result will not be significant. Perhaps 2:1," predicted S. Baranauskas.
He singled out R. Radavičius from the Žalgiris team. S. Baranauskas reminded that that was the defender who also played for "Ekranas," which was firmly in first place. Now R. Radavičius is with "Žalgiris."
"There are many internationals in the Vilnius team, but the capital's players are fighting for the top spot. The goal justifies the means," believes S. Baranauskas.
The expert of the round compared 'Žalgiris' gameplay with its new head coach Marek Zub, who previously led the team with the Croatian coach Damir Petravičius and last year's strategist, the Lithuanian Vitalijus Stankevičius. The conclusion is that the changes imposed by coaches are not significant. According to S. Baranauskas, the successful gameplay of 'Žalgiris' is due to capable players.
In the last match, the Vilnius team defeated Atlantas 4:3. Under D. Petravičius, ‘Žalgiris’ conceded 12 goals and was the best defending team in the league. According to S. Baranauskas, the defensive line of the Vilnius team is strong, but the newly formed Atlantas is a tough nut to crack for everyone.
S. Baranauskas is impressed by Kruoja, the opponent of Žalgiris. The coach wonders why sometimes the gameplay of teams that put in a lot of work and effort before the season sometimes falters. The reason is also objective - a new team lacks experience playing together.
'Kruoja's' results should be better," S. Baranauskas is convinced. "Young, promising, really good player Artūras Žulpa is impressive. This year, he is catching the eye of scouts. He played with the Slovakians and did really well. Coaches gave him the chance. That's how it should be," says S. Baranauskas.
"Kruoja" will not have defender Alfredas Skroblas due to disqualification. According to S. Baranauskas, this loss is not significant - the Pakruojis team is independent of one player. It is well-balanced, with a good local coach who knows his pupils very well.
There are also injured players, but we cannot reveal all the cards," joked Gvidas Juška, the "Kruoja" defender.
In all three matches against 'Žalgiris,' the footballer who took to the pitch in all three games against 'Žalgiris,' 'Kruoja,' and 'Kareda' shared, 'Kruoja' will strive not to lose. If they can win, the result will be very good. The Žalgiris team is well-equipped, fighting for the champions title. If we win, the fourth place will be in our pocket, and we will have a chance to fight for the third position," emphasized 30-year-old G. Juška on the importance of the match.
This season, the Vilnius 'Žalgiris' and the 'Kruoja' matches have smiled on the visitors. They won 1:0 in Panevėžys (76 min. Calumas Elliot) and Pakruojis (12 min. Andrius Skerla), while the match in Vilnius ended in a 2:0 victory for 'Kruoja' (4 min. Donatas Petrauskas, 95 min. Rostyslavas Diakivas).
"Šiauliai" - Marijampolės "Sūduva"
Date - September 23, 3:00 p.m.
Location - Šiauliai City Municipality Stadium.
Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV.
S. Baranauskas' prediction - 2:1.
"Šiauliai" (45 points) will play at home against "Sūduva" (57 points). The Šiauliai team is fifth, and the Marijampolė team is third.
"There could be good matches. I think Šiauliai won't lose. They play well at home, where I have also played. I like the ambitious head coach of 'Šiauliai,' Gediminas Jarmalavičius. I predict that either it will be a draw or Šiauliai will win. I think the hosts will celebrate a 2:1 victory," predicted S. Baranauskas.
Formerly played in 'Žalgiris,' 'Ekranas,' and Šiauliai's 'Kareda,' the football specialist has no doubt that the league's most prolific player - Šiauliai's forward Artūras Rimkevičius, who has scored 27 goals, will stand out. He is two goals away from breaking the new Lithuanian record.
"Rimkevičius may or may not appeal to some, but it must be acknowledged that he is playing impressively. I haven't seen anything like it in a long time. The Lithuanian national team has a clear problem with strikers, and 'Šiauliai' is moving forward because of Rimkevičius," praised S. Baranauskas the striker from Šiauliai.
A. Rimkevičius failed to score in the last match, and his team lost 0:1 in the last minutes in Pakruojis. According to S. Baranauskas, Šiauliai will try to rehabilitate themselves after the defeat. Especially since they will play at home.
In the expert's opinion, the leaders of "Sūduva" made a mistake in calling up the Brazilian Rafael Ledesma and dismissing the head coach Virginijus Liubšys.
"The Marijampolė team has become too dependent on Ledesma. When he plays well, the team wins, when he plays poorly, they lose points," analyzed S. Baranauskas. "Liubšys is an experienced coach. He became a champion with 'Ekranas,' almost did it with 'Vėtra.' He prepared 'Sūduva,' which is well-equipped. There are always pitfalls."
S. Baranauskas singled out young players Tadas Eliošius and Valdemaras Borovskis from "Sūduva." The latter, who the round expert knows from his school days, proved that there can also be good, national team-level players in the A League.
"Valdemaras played really well against the Slovaks. The coaches confidently sent him onto the field. That's how it should be," says S. Baranauskas.
'Šiauliai' will not have Laurynas Rimavičius due to disqualification. The round expert believes that there will be someone to replace him in the match.
In Round III, 'Sūduva' defeated their opponents at home 4:1 (24 min. Ričardas Beniušis, 27 min. T. Eliošius, 47 min. Andrius Urbšys, 88 min. Povilas Lukšys; 70 min. Marius Bezykornovas), and in Round XII, the match in Šiauliai ended in a 3:3 draw (9 min. Santiago Cesanelli, 89 min. Robertas Vėževičius, 92 min. Igoris Kozlovas; 17 min. R. Ledesma, 32 min. Sergėjus Loginovas, 70 min. Marius Šoblinskas).
Vilnius 'Reo' - Gargždai 'Banga'
Date - September 23, 6:00 p.m.
Location - Vilnius 'Žalgiris' Stadium.
Match Result - 0:3.
Alytus 'Dainava' - Klaipėda 'Atlantas'
Date - September 24, 6:00 p.m.
Location - Šiauliai City Municipality Stadium.
Live broadcast on Futbolo.TV.
S. Baranauskas' prediction - 2:3.
In Alytus, 'Dainava' (28 points) will host 'Atlantas' (17 points). The hosts are seventh in the Lithuanian championship, while the Klaipėda team is in 10th place.
"Atlantas" brings excitement to the A League. The match should be high-scoring. I think Atlantas can win. I guess 3:2. No one has yet adapted to them," said S. Baranauskas.
In his opinion, the strongest point of the 'Dainava' team is the coach Rimvydas Kochanauskas and the club director Antanas Makštutis. The latter, solving financial problems, manages to maintain a competitive team fighting for a place in the middle of the tournament table.
'Dainava' is quite an interesting team. They collect points without having good players, adding intrigue," said S. Baranauskas.
In the past round, 'Dainava' was defeated 0:5 by 'Banga' in Gargždai. According to S. Baranauskas, this defeat may have repercussions, but the Alytus team will play not on an artificial surface but on their field, where they are used to playing.
In the last match, "Atlantas" lost 3:4 after a fierce battle at home. S. Baranauskas compared the unpredictable Klaipėda team to Atlantas player C. Elliot. At the beginning of the season, the Scot scored one goal after another, but later opponents analyzed his game, understood how to defend
