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The Vilnius city football team "Žalgiris" is preparing in Armenia for the second leg of the Europa League qualifying round against the local club "Pyunik". The capital's team is now just one step away from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
On Thursday, at the "Vazgen Sargsyan" stadium, the green and white team managed to significantly complicate the home team's chances of achieving a positive result. If "Pyunik" misses a goal, the ball would have to be sent into the Lithuanians' net at least four times.
In Yerevan at 19:00 local time, 20:00 Lithuanian time, the Vilnius players playing the match do not worry about the opponents' territory or the high temperatures, which can reach up to 30 degrees Celsius during the match.
"The pitch is fantastic. I've never played on such high-quality grass before, but we must think only about the upcoming match and the fight for a place in the next round. That's why we came here," said Mantas Kuklys, the goalkeeper of the "Žalgiris" team on the eve of the match. "We are preparing to pay more attention to defense because the current situation does not require us to rush or attack. Of course, a goal scored would increase our chances of advancing even more."
"The journey was comfortable, we don't feel tired. Before leaving we were a little worried about the high temperatures, but we saw that the conditions in Armenia are practically ideal," said experienced defender Andrius Skerla. "We don't plan to change our game plan. We achieved a good result at home, so in the second leg, the most important thing will be to defend wisely and wait for our opportunities in attack."
"We don't expect an easy match because nothing is done yet. We are preparing for aggressive opponent pressure. Resisting it, one of our main tasks will be to score. We have all the opportunities to overcome the second qualifying round. That's what we will strive to do," said head coach Marekas Zubas of the Žalgiris team.
