© EuroFootball.com
Lithuanian and Austrian football league leaders Vilnius "Žalgiris" and "Salzburg" clubs start their duel for a place in the Europa League group stage tonight. The first match is on Thursday evening at 8 p.m. in Salzburg.
In the knockout match for a ticket to the Europa League group stage, the teams have clearly divided roles, writes "Lietuvos rytas."
For the first time in Lithuanian football history, "Žalgiris" – the underdog of the match – travels so far in Europe.
"Salzburg," who has already played three times in this stage of the Europa League between 2009-2011, is the favorite.
Both clubs dream of continuing their journey in Europe in the fall.
"These are the most important matches of the season because we have the opportunity to stay in Europe until the end of the year," emphasized "Žalgiris" coach Marekas Zubas before the match in Austria.
The team that advances to the Europa League group stage will secure not only an additional 6 high-level matches but also a substantial amount of money from UEFA – 1.3 million euros.
Playing in Salzburg, which will be broadcasted on LRT television, "Žalgiris" players are ready to step back.
"We saw how they play in Austria. We haven't played a strong team like them this year," said Vilnius team player Rytis Leliūga, whose goal in Poznań against "Lech" helped open the doors to the fourth stage of the Europa League. "We will play in the so-called second number, and they should attack. The Austrians will not be satisfied with 0:0. But we will wait for our chances as well."
The most important thing for "Žalgiris" is not to repeat the scenario of last year's match in Austria – then in the second stage of the Europa League, after a 1:1 draw in Vilnius, the Žalgiris were crushed 1:5 away by the "Admira Wacker" team from Mödling.
"First and foremost, we don't want to lose," said "Žalgiris" coach M. Zubas when asked what result would satisfy him in Salzburg. "It would be good if after the first match, the Austrians did not gain an advantage, and the match ended, let's say, 0:0. I would least like us to come back after losing similarly to last year in Austria."
Sent scouts to Lithuania
After losing to Istanbul's "Fenerbahce" club in the Champions League qualifiers (1:1 in Austria and 1:3 in Turkey), the Austrian vice-champions, who were demoted to the Europa League, will feel like favorites tonight, but "Žalgiris" is taken seriously.
One of "Salzburg's" coaches, Oliver Glasner, visited Lithuania last week and watched how in the A Lyga match "Žalgiris" beat Alytus "Dainava" 1:0.
"The opponent was not strong, so we didn't see much," said Salzburg coach Roger Schmidt.
He carefully examined "Žalgiris'" matches with the "Lech" team, in which the Lithuanian club eliminated the Polish team after a 1:0 victory in Vilnius and a 1:2 loss in Poznań.
"It was clear that against "Lech" they played very organized, constantly transitioning from defense to counterattacking football," emphasized R. Schmidt.
On Thursday, it should be harder for "Žalgiris" than in the matches with "Lech" because, unlike the Poznań club, "Salzburg" plays excellently in the national championships, showing good form in Austrian football.
Salzburg's players lead the Austrian league, gathering 11 points and scoring 16 goals in 5 matches. Almost half of them were scored by Spanish player Jonathan Soriano.
The 27-year-old forward, who previously played for Barcelona's "Espanyol" and the reserve team of "Barcelona", already scored 7 goals in 5 matches in the Austrian league and added one more in the Champions League qualifiers against "Fenerbahce."
