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Today the national football team will play the 2008 European Football Championship qualifying match in the Faroe Islands against the local team. The Faroese footballers, who are ranked only 179th in the FIFA rankings, lost both qualification matches played so far to Georgians and Scots with identical results of 0-6. The Lithuanians finished the first match in Italy with a 1-1 draw, and then lost 1-2 at home to Scotland. Today's Lithuanian opponents are considered clear outsiders in Group B, but it won't be an easy match.
The Faroe Islands footballers are known for playing particularly well at home, as if with double the energy. The favorable climate often helps them: it rains frequently, strong winds blow, the weather is colder and fresher than in mainland Europe.
A few years ago, Austria experienced failure here, losing in the last minutes, and only breaking the "fair-play" rules could save the Czechs, while three years ago the Germans snatched a victory in extra time.
The Lithuanian national team has played against the Faroe Islands 4 times already and it has never been easy. In the 2000 European Championship qualifiers, we failed to score a goal against the humble opponents in Vilnius - 0-0; and won only 1-0 away (goal scored by Tomas Ramelis). The fate brought these teams together again in the 2004 European Championship qualifiers. This time we fared better - we won both times: 2-0 (with goals by Tomas Ražanauskas and Robertas Poškus) and 3-1 (Donatas Vencevičius scored two goals, Igoris Morinas one).
The Lithuanian national team may face a challenge against weaker opponents. The difficult matches against the Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein (2-1) and San Marino (1-0) indicate a struggle, as we have also lost to the Estonians.
Meanwhile, the Faroe Islands national team's mindset and goals for this match are well illustrated by the words of the country's football federation president on the eve of the match: "Before these games, we have lost painfully in two meetings. Tomorrow's match with Lithuania's footballers is our chance to show Europe that we can do more than just lose. With Lithuania, we are similar in many ways - we are small countries where football is just developing. So, we are similar opponents and we hope, of course, only for a positive result for us. Tomorrow our strengths on the field will be equal - we will play eleven against eleven and the same round ball will be at our disposal."
The hosts' national team coach Jogvan Martin Olsen could call upon all of his strongest players for this match. They all play for their country's clubs and are amateurs. The team needs to be wary of experienced defenders Ole Johannesen and Julian Johnsen, as well as the most goalscorer in the Faroe Islands' league Christian Hogni Jacobsen. Goalkeeper Jakup Mikkelsen is also reliable.
On the other hand, the Lithuanian national team is facing several losses. Due to injuries, Edgaras Jankauskas, Rolandas Džiaukštas, Povilas Lukšys, Aidas Preikšaitis, Tomas Radzinevičius, are all unable to play, while Deividas Šemberas and Edgaras Česnauskis are still disqualified.
Nevertheless, the national team's coach Algimantas Liubinskas noted that the team in the Faroe Islands will fight only for a victory, although he does not consider his team a clear favorite. According to the coach, it would be good to score an early goal at the beginning of the match.
According to the Lithuanian Football Federation, the Lithuanian footballers were greeted with calm weather and sunshine in the host country. Locals had reported continuous rain for two weeks prior. However, forecasters predicted strong winds and rain on the day of the match.
The players will take to the field at 16:55 Lithuanian time. The match will be broadcast live on LNK TV.
What can be expected from these matches? Of course, victories and by as large a margin as possible. However, it will not be easy. It is possible that the Faroese, having attempted to attack in the first two matches and conceding 12 goals, may focus on defense in this match.
Projected starting lineup for the Lithuanian national team (4-4-2):
Ž.Karčemarskas; M.Stankevičius, A.Skerla, T.Žvirgždauskas, G.Paulauskas; D.Česnauskis, D.Miceika, M.Savėnas, S.Mikoliūnas; R.Poškus, T.Danilevičius.
