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In the Lithuanian championship, matches of the 24th round are starting after a short break following international matches. On Friday, "Nevėžis" will meet "Sūduva", on Saturday there are intriguing matches between "Kaunas" and "Vėtra", "Žalgiris" and "Atlantas", and "Šiauliai" against the underdog "Šilutė", while newly crowned Baltic champion "Ekranas" will play against "Vilnius" on Sunday.
"Nevėžis" - "Sūduva" (Friday, kickoff 18:00)
In the first-round match in Kaunas, "Nevėžis" will face "Sūduva". In the previous round, the Kėdainiai club lost 0-1 to "Atlantas", marking their first defeat since the end of June when Vitalijus Stankevičius took over as the coach of "Nevėžis". Marijampolė team missed the 23rd round match due to participating in the UEFA Europa League, where they lost 0-2 to Belgian "Club Brugge".
Both encounters between the two teams this year were won by "Sūduva" - 2-0 in Kaunas and 3-0 in Marijampolė. A dramatic victory against "Vilnius" at the beginning of August put "Sūduva" in the third place in the league, while "Nevėžis" unexpectedly secured a last-minute victory against "Vėtra" in the same round.
It is unclear if experienced players Darius Maciulevičius and Darius Gvildys will be able to play for "Sūduva" in this match due to injuries that kept them out of the match against "Brugge". "Nevėžis" will be without defender Deivydas Venckaus who is suspended due to yellow cards.
Currently, "Nevėžis" is in 9th place in the "A Lyga" (12 points), while "Sūduva" is in fourth place (33 points).
"Kaunas" - "Vėtra" (Saturday, kickoff 16:10)
On Saturday, "Kaunas" will host "Vėtra" at home. For the Kaunas team, this will be a rehearsal before the return leg of the UEFA Europa League match against the Danish club "Randers", which the Danes won 3-1 in the first leg.
In this match, the new Slovak legionnaire of "Vėtra" Pavol Barmošas may take to the field. The 25-year-old player has signed a one-year contract and can play in center-back and holding midfielder positions. Meanwhile, Kaunas team lost defender Marius Žaliūkas to "Hearts" in Edinburgh and there were reports that another Kaunas player, recently transferred from "Atlantas", defender Andrius Bartkus, may follow in his footsteps.
Unlike last year, this season "Kaunas" has had no problems playing against "Vėtra" and won both matches by a margin of 8-1. It is difficult to say how the changes in the team and the defeat in European competitions will affect the Kaunas team, but so far they have only dropped points at home against "Ekranas", and the only victories for "Vėtra" away from home were against the absolute underdog "Šilutė". However, according to the results of the last six matches, "Vėtra" is only behind "Kaunas".
"Kaunas" has practically secured the gold in the "A Lyga" after 22 matches with 61 points, leading second-placed "Ekranas" by 21 points. "Vėtra" is currently in fifth place (31 points).
"Žalgiris" - "Atlantas" (Saturday, kickoff 18:00)
In the capital city, "Žalgiris" will clash with "Atlantas". In the previous round, both teams had similar outcomes: Žalgiris won 2-0 against "Šilutė", while the Klaipėda team won 1-0 against "Nevėžis". In the last matches, there were some changes in the Klaipėda team: central defender from Croatia Ivo Begičius and full-back Jaunius Mockus made their debut, with the latter previously playing for "Šilutė", and also Darius Žutautas, who failed to establish himself at Simferopol's "Tavria", returned to the team.
The last match between the clubs in the port city ended goalless two months ago, and in May "Žalgiris" suffered a painful 0-1 defeat to "Atlantas" at home, so this time they will undoubtedly be thirsting for revenge. A win would allow Žalgiris to win three matches in a row for the first time this season, while "Atlantas", having defeated "Nevėžis" after a series of setbacks, will be mentally recovered and hoping to regain the form they showed in the second round of the championship.
Both teams have new absences - "Žalgiris" will have to cope without Mirijano Choruži, who has been a rare defensive player for them in recent months, due to yellow cards, while "Atlantas" will miss forward Aivaras Laurišas.
After several victories in the championship, "Žalgiris" has risen to 6th place (30 points), while "Atlantas" is in third place (34 points).
"Šiauliai" - "Šilutė" (Saturday, kickoff 18:00)
In Šiauliai, "Šiauliai" will play against "Šilutė", the underdog of the "A Lyga", which lost 0-2 to "Žalgiris" in the previous round. Meanwhile, Šiauliai played a 1-1 draw with "Vilnius".
Before these matches, "Šilutė" had lost 10 matches in a row. In the last round, there were 5 changes made to the team's starting lineup, but they did not help. Always strong at home, "Šiauliai" are undoubtedly the favorites in this match, while the team from Pamarys can only hope to break their losing streak.
"Šiauliai" currently occupies 7th place in the championship (29 points), while "Šilutė" is last with 9 points.
"Ekranas" - "Vilnius" (Sunday, kickoff 17:30)
In the only Sunday match, the local "Ekranas" in Panevėžys will host the visitors from the capital city - "Vilnius". In the 23rd round, Vilnius played a 1-1 draw with "Šiauliai". Meanwhile, "Ekranas" managed to win the Baltic Champions Cup last weekend.
After being led by Brazilian coach Caio Zanardi, the team has not recorded a single victory in the four matches played - one loss to "Vėtra" and a draw, a late victory against "Sūduva", and in the last round, the team from the capital released a victory over "Šiauliai".
This year, both encounters between the two teams ended in a draw - 1-1 in Panevėžys and 0-0 in Vilnius, while last year "Ekranas" won all four matches and only allowed Vilnius to score one goal while scoring nine themselves. "Ekranas" has only lost once at home this season, while "Vilnius" has dropped almost as many points away from home as they have at home.
The biggest problem for the largest club in Vilnius at the moment is injuries. Experienced defender Tomas Ražanauskas, defender Andrius Sokolovas, and several other key players are still sidelined due to injuries, with the only good news being the return of forward Adilson. Additionally, defender Darius Artiomovas is suspended for this match, making it difficult for the team's coach C. Zanardi to fit into the limit of six foreigners.
Currently, "Ekranas" is second in the "A Lyga" (40 points), while "Vilnius" is eighth (26 points).
