© EuroFootball.com
2011 Lithuanian national football teams' calendar is slowly filling up with friendly matches. The national team is preparing to play friendly matches in Norway in June, while the youth team is planning to meet with Latvia and Belarus in March. Both Lithuanian teams will also play against each other once again.
Planning a match with Norwegians
The Lithuanian national team is currently finalizing details for friendly international matches with the Norwegian team. The match would take place on June 7th in Oslo - four days after the Lithuanian team's UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier match against Liechtenstein.
"It's pleasant that a strong team like Norway - which ranks 11th in the FIFA rankings - invites us to play friendly matches. They play athletic football, and some of their leaders play in the English championship. It will be like a rehearsal for the autumn qualifying competition trip to Scotland," said Robert Tautkus, the director of the Lithuanian Football Federation's national and U-21 teams.
In August, the Lithuanian team is considering an offer from Luxembourg. Our team already played against this country's team two years ago as guests, so this time the match would take place in Lithuania.
Polish representatives to discuss security
Until then, the Lithuanian national football team players will face a few more challenges. The LFF has already announced that in preparation for a match at the end of March against the world champion Spain, the Lithuanians will host the Polish national team at home.
The match in Kaunas will be played on March 25th, but preparations for the meeting have already begun. Next week, the general director of the Polish Football Federation Zdzislaw Krecina will arrive in Lithuania. The guest will discuss organizational and security issues with representatives of the LFF and the police, which may arise due to Polish team fans planning to come to our country.
Four days later, on March 29, the Lithuanian footballers will play against the Spanish team at the S. Darius and S. Girenas Stadium in Kaunas. Fans who have purchased the Lithuanian national team's subscriptions will not only be able to see the world champions but also watch friendly matches with Poland for free.
Youth team matches with neighbors
After recently drawn 2013 UEFA U-21 Championship qualification matches, the Lithuanian youth team also plans to play friendly matches.
Between March 24 and 25, Lithuanians agreed to test their strength against the neighboring Latvian team. Depending on weather conditions, the matches would take place either in Marijampole or on artificial turf in Kaunas, at the National Football Academy Stadium. Negotiations are also underway with the Belarusian Football Federation regarding friendly youth team matches on March 28 or 29.
The Lithuanian U-21 team also plans to play training matches against the national B team in a couple of weeks. On February 9, both teams already played in Vilnius, and this time, friendly matches are scheduled to take place on March 2 in Marijampole.
"It's an opportunity to test our strength once again before the start of the club football season. There will be changes in both teams, with only players who play in Lithuania participating. The goals remain the same - the youth team is preparing for qualifying matches, and the national team can once again check the reserves," explained R. Tautkus.
The young Lithuanian footballers will begin the European Championship qualifying cycle on June 3 and 7 with matches against Maltese and Slovenian players.
