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After a short break during which international matches took place, on Sunday the 31st round matches will be played in the "A League".
Start: 3:00 PM
In Kaunas, the league leader "Kaunas" will host "Vilnius" at home. This will be the fourth meeting of these clubs in the "A League". The Kaunas team celebrated two victories (3-1 and 3-2), while one match ended in a draw 2-2.
In these matches, the Vilnius team will be without defender Vytautas Lukša due to disqualification. However, the director of sports of the "Vilnius" club, Ivan Švabovičius, stated that the team will try to fight for a higher place in the championship and will aim for victory in these matches.
Both main goalkeepers of "Kaunas", Eduardas Kurskis and Mindaugas Malinauskas, will not be able to defend the goal in this match. Therefore, most likely the position in the goal will be taken by the legionnaire from Slovenia, Mihael Hertelendi.
Although "Kaunas" currently leads confidently in the standings with a 12-point advantage over "Ekranas" in second place, the team's not very successful performance in recent times should raise concerns for the team's strategist, Eugenijus Riabovas.
Currently, "Kaunas" is first in the "A League" with 70 points, while "Vilnius" is 8th (36 pts.).
Start: 3:00 PM
In Šiauliai, "Sūduva" will host guests from Klaipėda - "Atlantas". This season, the teams shared one victory each ("Šiauliai" won at home 3-1, "Atlantas" won in Klaipėda 1-0), while one match ended in a draw 1-1.
In these crucial matches, Šiauliai will be without the injured Vadimas Tarasovas and Sergejus Galiūza. The coach of the Šiauliai team officially stated on the club's website that neither a draw nor, even more, a defeat in the upcoming matches is acceptable. The coach also added that the team might change tactics in the match against "Atlantas" to achieve a positive result. Saulius Vertelis also mentioned that the team has prepared responsibly for this match and hopes to finish the season successfully.
In this match, "Atlantas" will be without 4 players: Dainius Žernys, Edvinas Lukoševičius, and Martynas Karalius will miss the match due to yellow cards, and Rimantas Žvingilas will be absent due to a red card. The coaching staff of the Klaipėda club also suffered losses: the assistant coach Marius Poškus was fined and will miss two "A League" matches.
Both teams continue a close battle for the 4th place in the championship: "Šiauliai" is 7th with 40 points, while "Atlantas" has one point more and is 5th. However, the team from Klaipėda has played one match fewer.
Start: 3:00 PM
In Panevėžys, "Ekranas" will host the championship underdogs - the footballers of "Šilutė". This will be the 4th meeting of these teams this season, with Panevėžys winning two matches (3-1 and 1-0) and one match ending goalless.
In this match, "Ekranas" will have to cope without Mindaugas Gardzijauskas. The player suffered an injury in a friendly match against the "Jūrmala" club. The 28-year-old defender tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Interestingly, M. Gardzijauskas had a similar injury last year as well.
Before the Sunday match, the head coach of the Panevėžys club, Virginijus Liubšys, stated: "These are not the last matches of the season, so we cannot afford to lose or relax. All team players are preparing seriously for the matches, and we will better evaluate the readiness of the national team members during the match." It is worth noting that 4 "Ekranas" players represented the Lithuanian national team: Mantas Savėnas, Vitalijus Kavaliauskas, Arūnas Klimavičius, and Gediminas Paulauskas.
In the championship, both clubs continue an intense battle for the 2nd place: "Ekranas" is 2nd with 58 points, while "Šilutė" is last with 12 points.
Start: 3:00 PM
In Marijampolė, "Sūduva" will host "Vėtra". In the previous meetings between these teams, the Vilnius team celebrated two victories (2-1 and 1-0), while one match ended in a draw 1-1.
This match will essentially decide the fate of the bronze medals: if "Vėtra" wins, they will be 8 points ahead of the main pursuers and practically unbeatable. Meanwhile, if "Sūduva" celebrates victory, they will be only 2 points behind "Vėtra".
The situation of the Vilnius club is complicated by player losses: due to injuries, goalkeeper Vaidas Žutautas and defender Bobis Božinovskis will not be able to help "Vėtra", with Božinovskis fracturing his foot during training. Furthermore, by the decision of the LFF disciplinary committee, the Vilnius attacking leader Sergejus Kuznecovas will also have to miss the upcoming duel. This punishment was given to the player for a red card received in the match against "Atlantas". Interestingly, according to an official press release by "Vėtra", S. Kuznecovas did not even participate in the incident for which he was punished, yet he will still be forced to miss the match in Marijampolė.
"Sūduva" currently ranks 4th in the "A League" with 44 points, while "Vėtra" is one place above with 49 points.
Start: 3:00 PM
In the final match of the round in the capital, "Žalgiris" will host "Nevėžis". So far, in all 3 matches, the Vilnius team celebrated victory (4-1, 2-1, and 5-1).
This week, "Žalgiris" started with changes: before the end of the championship, with 6 matches left to play, there were changes in the coaching staff of the Vilnius club. Head coach Igoris Pankratjevas left his post, and his assistant Viačeslavas Sukristovas also left the team. As stated by the club president Arminas Narbekovas, he and one of the team's coaches, Mindaugas Čepas, will lead the team for the remaining league matches.
Good news for "Žalgiris" fans is that the injury suffered by the team's legionnaire Juliano Bursuko in the last round is not serious, and the player will be able to play in the match against "Nevėžis".
"Žalgiris" is currently 6th in the "A League" with 40 points, while "Nevėžis" is 9th with 13 points.
