TOPsport A lyga" announcement: difficult away games await the winners

2024-03-12 13:15 © E. Žaldario

„TOPsport A lygos“ 3rd round matches will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

„Kauno Žalgiris“ – Vilnius region „TransINVEST“. March 12, 18:00, Akademija, President Valdas Adamkus VDU Sports Center.

Both teams suffered defeats in the 2nd round and will aim to return to winning ways.

„Kauno Žalgiris“ did not have a successful first two weeks - a draw with Gargždai „Banga“ and a loss to Kaunas region „Hegelmann“ players. With one point, Glenno Stahl's team is at the bottom of the tournament table, but a victory on Tuesday would significantly boost the team. In the last match, Maxime Spano Rahou did not play due to injury, and after the derby, Slovenian player Žan Benedičič was punished with a red card - he will not be visible on the pitch. The Kaunas team will be determined to achieve a positive result since failure will mean playing three consecutive matches against the top teams.

The championship debutants suffered a bitter defeat on Saturday, losing at home to Telšiai „Džiugas“ after conceding a goal in the last minutes. The „TransINVEST“ team's coaching staff made changes to the starting lineup and saved Artūras Žulpa and Otar Kobachidze - it is possible that this important duo will start the match from the first minutes. The last match did not go well for Ričardas Šveikauskas, who suffered an injury and dropped out of the lineup. The Vilnius region club has equal substitutions, but gaining points against hungry „Kauno Žalgiris“ would be a significant surprise.

Alytus DFK „Dainava“ – Telšiai „Džiugas“. March 13, 17:00, Marijampolė, Marijampolė Football Arena manège.

„Dainava“, showing a good defense in Marijampolė, will face a direct competitor.

The Dainava team only conceded one goal against the champion and vice-champion in previous clashes, but they failed to score themselves. The match against Telšiai offers a great opportunity to change this and play a more open game. Especially since after a long break, the most dynamic player in attack, Aaron Olugbogi, started the match. In head-to-head matches in the TOPsport A League, „Dainava“ has lost only once, making the historical Samogitian team a favorable opponent. Center-back Oskaras Lukošiūnas did not finish the last match due to injury, and he may be absent from the pitch.

„Džiugas“ with 4 points is among the top two teams, and goalkeeper Marius Paukštelis kept the goal “dry” twice. With the return of the defensive pillar Lukas Ankudinovas, the team's rotation has deepened even more, and it is likely that Nino Noordanus, who scored a winning goal, may start the match. Christian Bella, who caused a lot of trouble for the Kėdainiai "Nevėžis" opponents last season in the Lithuanian championship, has also become a pleasant surprise, but facing him on Wednesday will be a Nigerian player Ode Abdullahi, who stands out with his speed and playing tempo.

Kaunas region „Hegelmann“ – FA „Šiauliai“. March 13, 18:00, Kaunas, LFF Kaunas Training Center Stadium.

In Kaunas, teams demonstrating different levels of performance will go head-to-head.

The blue and white team showed strong character, erased a goal deficit and extended their victory in the derby, allowing them to recover from the failure in the 1st round. Although the team's defense does not work like clockwork, the offense compensates for it all. In the last match, Cameroonian player Njoya Abdel Kader, who contributed to both goals scored, showed up. Perhaps we will see him, not Michael Thuique, in the starting lineup. The future schedule of the „Hegelmann“ footballers will not be too lenient, but if they manage to defeat Vilnius „Žalgiris“ before Sunday's match, the failure at the start of the championship would be compensated.

FA „Šiauliai“ were slightly more attacking at home, but they failed to score, and furthermore, Gargždai „Banga“ found several gaps in the Šiauliai team's defense that they did not exploit. Compared to the first match, head coach Mindaugas Čepas made rotations in the starting lineup. Eligijus Jankauskas's performance after the substitution was positive, but Donatas Kazlauskas dropped out of the team. On Wednesday in Kaunas, two attacking players, Nauris Petkevičius and Augustinas Klimavičius, will confront their former team.

Gargždai „Banga“ – Vilnius „Žalgiris“. March 13, 18:00, Gargždai, Gargždai City Stadium.

„Banga“, curtailing the favorites, will host the vice-champion in the 3rd round.

The fiercely competitive team from Gargždai took points from „Kauno Žalgiris“ and FA „Šiauliai“ and is positioned in the middle of the tournament table. This week, the footballers coached by David Afonso will face the two strongest teams in the championship, with the first being a particularly unfavorable opponent. In the „TOPsport A League“, „Banga“ suffered 14 consecutive losses against „Žalgiris“ and stumbled 19 times in the last 20 matches. In the last matches, after the clash, Brazilian player Carlos Eduardo, who started the season well, did not finish, but he shouldn't be missing from the lineup for long.

The Vilnius club played two matches on Sunday. They demonstrated an excellent offense - could have scored more than three goals, but the defense failed, and they had to settle for a draw with the Marijampolė team. It is evident that head coach Vladimir Čeburinas is more inclined to rely on either proven players or newcomers to the team. It is likely that with an intensified schedule, we will see creative midfielder Armin Hodžić and Nemanja Mihajlović in the lineup.

Marijampolės „Sūduva“ – „Panevėžys“. March 13, 20:15, Marijampolė, Marijampolė Football Arena manège.

The round will conclude with a match in Marijampolė - where the champions are determined to open their account for victories.

„Sūduva“ did not give in to „Žalgiris“ after an almost 100-minute battle, although they were very close to victory. Important center-back Ivan Zotko could not finish the intense battle; furthermore, team strategist Dovydas Lastauskas was removed and will have to give instructions to the team from the stands. Sūduva players showed excellent conversion of opportunities last Sunday - especially the fast-paced Ukrainian player Artiom Fiodorov, who participated in the „Panevėžys“ trial earlier. The champions will face a dangerous opponent's attacking line.

The representatives of the capital of Aukštaitija started the championship with two goalless draws against the lower part of the last season's tournament table. The team's defense seems reliable, but they struggle to score goals - they often lack luck and success. Head coach Gino Lettieri shows confidence in the Georgian Nika Kacharava, while Ariagner Smith has not yet returned to the roster, so we may see creative midfielder Lucas de Vega in the starting lineup. The latter has already debuted - the type of creative player that „Panevėžys“ currently needs.