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The Lithuanian "A Lyga" championship season moves into the second half - eight teams will play matchday 19 on Friday, after which there will be a two-week break in the competition for club participation in European tournaments. The day's matches will feature table neighbors "Sūduva" and "Žalgiris," as well as reigning champion "Ekranas" and underdog "Nevėžis." In crisis, "Vėtra" will face the well-playing "Atlantas," while the leader "Kaunas" will host "Šiauliai." In a match that already took place on Wednesday, "Vilnius" narrowly defeated "Šilutė."
Occupying the sixth position, Marijampolė's "Sūduva" will host Vilnius' "Žalgiris," who are four points behind in seventh place. A victory for either team would give them an advantage - with fewer matches played, Žalgiris could catch up to their opponents, while a win for the Suvalkija team could distance them from the Vilnius club and join the fight for fourth place.
After securing their first victory in seven matches last time out, "Žalgiris" will face a "Sūduva" team that has been inconsistent lately. Interestingly, this season Žalgiris has performed better away from home, winning four of their five victories there, while "Sūduva" has been stronger at home, defeating their opponents four times compared to just two away wins.
"Ekranas," currently in second place with 35 points, will face the last-placed "Nevėžis" after their match against "Kaunas." The Panevėžys team recently suffered a heavy defeat to "Šiauliai," but managed to beat league leaders "Kaunas" in their next match. Despite the inconsistencies, Ekranas' coach believes Kaunas will be champions, urging his players to hold onto second place ahead of Atlantas.
In the capital city, "Vėtra" will host Klaipėda's "Atlantas" in an intriguing match. The Vilnius club, currently in eighth place, has been struggling and has not felt the joy of victory in the last nine matches, while Atlantas has been thriving with 7 wins in their last 9 games, sitting comfortably in third place.
The leaders of the league, "Kaunas," will seek to bounce back from their first defeat of the season and defeat fourth-placed "Šiauliai." Kaunas failed to score for the first time in a match last time out, leading to their first defeat of the season. Šiauliai will be without their attacking leader, Ilja Galiūzas, who received his second red card of the season in the last match against "Sūduva."
