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Over the weekend, the people of Panevėžys would consider an equivalent result in Vilnius against Marijampolė's "Sūduva" as a loss.
In the VI round of the "SMScredit.lt A Lyga," Vilnius Football Association's team "Žalgiris" will be playing at home against Panevėžys "Ekranas" club.
Last season's Lithuanian championship winners will arrive changed but full of ambition after the clashes that took place in October at the LFF stadium.
Additional motivation for the visitors will be provided by the lost first title of this season - the LFF Supercup, which traveled precisely to the capital.
Changes
During the offseason, Panevėžys "Ekranas" club went through significant changes. The entire defensive line - goalkeeper Emilijus Zubas, defenders Ignas Dedura, Mantas Samusiovas, Dainius Gleveckas, and Janis Urdinovas - left the team. Safeties Vitalijus Lukša and Marko Andželkovičius also departed.
The ranks of Panevėžys were filled by defenders Vaidas Slavickas, Oscar Reyes, Fernando de Abreau, safeties Donatas Petrauskas, Igoris Kozlovas, and brothers Sigitas and Simonas Urbiai.
However, the most notable acquisition should be the most productive player of the previous A Lyga season, Artūras Rimkevičius. The striker, who scored 35 goals last year representing "Šiauliai," participated in foreign club trials before the season but did not find his place there and decided to return to Lithuania and sign a contract with the "Ekranas" team.
The recovering sniper will not be able to help his new team on the field on Wednesday.
A productive start overshadowed problems in defense
Panevėžys started the season poorly - losing 0:1 to "Žalgiris" in the first official matches and losing the LFF Supercup after a long break. However, the painful defeat did not prevent the team from starting the A Lyga matches successfully.
"Ekranas" confidently won 3 victories and settled in the first place of the tournament table - Alytus "Dainava" was defeated 3:1, Pakruojis "Kruoja" was crushed 6:2, and Gargždai "Banga" was defeated 2:0. Only the champions of the Lithuanian V League stopped them - the match ended in a draw 2:2.
The future opponents of Žalgiris are the most productive team in the league, scoring 13 goals (an average of 3.25 per match). Meanwhile, the new defensive line and goalkeeper lack stability - the team has already conceded 5 goals (an average of 1.25 per match).
Goalkeeper Tadas Kauneckas, who often faces criticism from his own fans this year, conceded 3 goals in 4 matches. Last year, goalkeeper Emilijus Zubas conceded only one goal in the first 10 rounds.
Gold on their minds
Before the start of the championship, the team that has not relinquished the throne in Lithuania for the past 5 years aims to win the gold medals for the sixth time in a row.
In every Lithuanian championship match, the team aims for victory. According to the team's coach Arvydas Skrupskis, the match in Vilnius will be no exception, where "Ekranas" will try to increase the gap from their closest pursuers - "Žalgiris," "Kruoja," and "Atlantas."
According to the Panevėžys coach, the team is prepared to surprise the hosts and will not settle for a draw in the capital.
VMFD "Žalgiris" - Panevėžys "Ekranas"
Tour: VI
Time: Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 pm
Place: LFF Stadium, Vilnius.
