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In Šiauliai, Marijampolė, and Vilnius - it's the European Football Day. "Kruoja," "Sūduva," and "Žalgiris" will start in the Europa League qualifying tournament.
"Of course, we would like to see as many of our teams progress to the first stage of the UEFA Europa League. But I think only "Žalgiris" will do it. God willing – more, and I hope I am wrong..." – former Lithuanian national team coach Algimantas Liubinskas was not a big optimist.
Before "Kruoja" – Dmitrijus Syčiovas.
Pakruojo "Kruoja" – Minsk's "Dynamo" (Belarus). 7:00 PM Šiauliai city municipality stadium.
"Kruoja" is facing perhaps the strongest opponent in the first stage of the Europa League. Minsk's "Dynamo" coached by Olando Roberto Maaskantas doesn't even think about ending the tournament after two matches with a Lithuanian club.
"I'll say straight – I think "Kruoja" has no chances. Minsk's "Dynamo" currently holds the third place in a quite strong Belarusian Championship and budget-wise is one of the most powerful clubs. It is led by Yury Chizh, who is close to the country's president Alexander Lukashenko," - said A. Liubinskas.
The biggest Belarusian club stars: Dmitrijus Syciovas, who has played 47 matches for the Russian national team, and Christian Obodo, who has played 21 matches for the Nigerian national team.
The truth is the latter will not come to Lithuania. He, after leaving the club on his own, got involved in an unpleasant situation. The Nigerian and one of his friends, along with two prostitutes, were arrested by the police in Italy, finding 52 grams of marijuana in their car.
But according to A. Liubinskas, the problem is not only in the strength of "Dynamo" but also in the weaknesses of "Kruoja."
"I think "Kruoja," based on today's lineup, will probably not pass any barriers. Unless they strengthen somehow. Even though they are currently fifth in the A league, the "Šiauliai," who sometimes occupy the seventh place, demonstrate a more interesting football. Looking at the organization of "Kruoja," where some time ago its players would only gather for matches and not even train, what kind of professionalism or chances can be talked about regarding this club?" – asked the former Lithuanian national team coach rhetorically.
However, in the Pakruojo club, there is one person who knows the entire "Dynamo" inside out. "Kruoja" recently signed a contract with Belarusian goalkeeper Aleksandr Tiškevičius, who admits that he grew up and matured precisely in the Minsk "Dynamo" team.
Meeting with the village team
Marijampolė's "Sūduva" – Turnovo "Horizont" (Macedonia). 7:45 PM Marijampolė's "Arvi" arena.
The draw determined that the first match for the Marijampolians would be played in Macedonia, and the return leg at home. However, UEFA later switched the locations of the matches due to other Europa League matches taking place in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, on July 11.
It's doubtful whether this change will benefit the "Sūduva" club. It is generally believed that it is better to play the first matches away.
"Horizont" is literally a village team. Turnovo does not have city status, it is inhabited by 941 people. The team consists solely of local players.
Some of the key "Horizont" players: the goal-scoring guard Dejan Blaževski and the forward Zoran Baldovalyev.
"I don't know the strength of the Macedonian team. But I know that all the former Yugoslavia countries know how to play football," - A. Liubinskas cautiously looked at the village team.
The "Sūduva" team welcomed back the forward Tomas Radzinevičius, who left for a foreign country eight years ago, once considered almost a symbol of "Sūduva."
"I don't know in what sporting form Tomas Radzinevičius is. Of course, I think he could help the team. But "Sūduva" has many problems. Its defense is not solid, and there are defensive issues," - said A. Liubinskas. He gave "Sūduva" a 40% chance of overcoming "Horizont."
Recently, the Marijampolė club parted ways with Brazilian Rafael Ledesma, who sometimes took on a leadership role in the team and sometimes did not stand out.
"The departure of Rafael Ledesma will, of course, be a loss for the "Sūduva" team. But he was probably too expensive for the club. And another thing – the Brazilian was uncontrollable. If he wanted, he would run, if he didn't want to - he wouldn't. But if there was a desire to part ways with R. Ledesma, it should have been done a long time ago," - commented A. Liubinskas.
The biggest hope - "Žalgiris"
Vilnius "Žalgiris" – Dublin "Saint Patric‘s" (Ireland). 9:00 PM LFF stadium.
"I think "Žalgiris" has all the chances. The Irish team is not at a level that is unbeatable. If we don't pass them... Hoping for better draws is unlikely," - said former Lithuanian national team coach, who worked in the Vilnius club during the Soviet era.
Ireland's Premier League leader does not have big stars in its lineup. Its strength lies in the team's extensive experience in Europa League qualifiers. But A. Liubinskas believes that the advantages of Vilnius residents are greater than this.
"Žalgiris" is a well-balanced team. Now it constantly shows leadership qualities. Currently, in Lithuania, there is no equal to them. What if the best team in Lithuania doesn't pass "Saint Patric‘s," - thinks the former Lithuanian national team coach.
A. Liubinskas especially expects a victory for Vilnius in their home stadium: "Žalgiris" has strong guards, quite a decent defense, and a goalkeeper who can score goals. Every game, the team creates opportunities, and there are almost no matches where they do not score. I think there should be a victory at home, and in Dublin, "Žalgiris" should at least not lose."
However, one of the best players from "Žalgiris," Polish Jakub Wilk, left the team before the Europa League matches and went for a trial at the Romanian "Vaslui" club. But even this does not worry A. Liubinskas. He has no reproaches for the Vilnius club, which released a foreign player at such an important time: "Each club has to solve its problems. Money doesn't fall from the sky. Every team faces the fate of having to give up its best players, there's nothing you can do. I think the coach knew about the possible departure of J. Wilk and prepared for it. I hope he will find a way to compensate for the loss."
