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On Monday, UEFA headquarters in Nyon drew the lots for the UEFA Intertoto Cup tournament. After the draw, it was revealed that Vilnius will face a team from Wales in the first stage on either June 23 or 24 and June 30 or July 1.
Currently, there are 2 rounds left in the Welsh Premier League season, and "Vėtra" aims to compete against the teams "Llanelli" and "Welshpool Town." Interestingly, a Lithuanian, Karolina Stasaitytė, is the manager of the "Llanelli" club.
If Vilnius wins, they will face a team from Poland in the second stage, and in the third stage, a team from the English Premier League.
This year, 50 teams from 49 countries will participate in the Intertoto tournament. Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, and Scotland will not have representatives, while Romania has delegated two clubs.
In the first stage, 28 clubs will compete in 14 pairs. The second stage will have the same number of participants. Finally, the third stage will see 22 teams competing. The 11 winners of the pairs will earn a direct ticket to the UEFA Cup tournament.
"Vėtra" represented Lithuania in the Intertoto tournament last season. However, their journey was short-lived as they were defeated 0-1 and 0-4 by the Irish team "Shelbourne" in the first stage.
Lithuanian clubs have faced Welsh teams three times before. In 1994, in the Tauras Cup tournament, Vilnius's "Žalgiris" defeated Cardiff's "Barry Town" 1-0 and 6-0. In the 2005 UEFA Cup tournament, Klaipėda's "Atlantas" failed to overcome the "Rhyl" barrier - the Lithuanians lost 1-2 and won 3-2 (the Welsh team advanced due to away goals).
Last year, Marijampolė's "Sūduva" overcame the "Rhyl" barrier (2-1 and 0-0)."
