Turin announcement: "Žalgiris" will face undefeated opponent

2024-06-22 12:47 © Vytauto Kuralavičiaus

Over the weekend, the third round of the "TOPsport A Lyga" will start - the 19th round will take place.

Vilnius district "TransINVEST" - Telšiai "Džiugas". June 22, 5 pm. Širvintos, Širvintų city stadium. Previous matches: 0:1, 0:2.

The championship debutants will try for the third time to please the Džiugas fans.

Aurimas Tamaliūnas' squad focused and stylishly defeated the champion "Panevėžys", moving up from the last place in the tournament table. The "TransINVEST" footballers have 16 points on their account and, having celebrated their second consecutive victory, could come closer to several competitors. If the Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhiy Melašenka, who has been dropped from the lineup for a longer period, is still unavailable, their chance will again be given to the debutant from last Wednesday's Lithuanian championship, Ernestas Černiavskis, who did not miss a goal in the second half.

The Džiugas did not fight for victories in the last five matches, but with 26 points, they still hold third place. The Žemaitija club will travel to Širvintos after the biggest defeat of the season, though, the ranks will be fuller on Saturday - after disqualification, the attacking leader Nino Noordanus will return, but Joaquim Domingos will miss another clash. Christian Bell appeared again on the green lawn, so the duo that caused many problems for the debutants will be ready to arrange an equally effective attack as in the first round. A crucial victory would allow them to stay in the top five for a while.

"Panevėžys" - Alytus DFK "Dainava". June 22, 7 pm. Panevėžys, "Aušktaiciai" stadium. Previous matches: 0:0, 0:0.

In Panevėžys, the two least productive teams in the championship will face each other.

Despite saying goodbye to Gino Lettieri, head coach Stijn Vreven suffered the biggest defeat - the "TransINVEST" footballers were defeated 0:3. The identically stuck champions have 15 points in the second round, are at the bottom of the table, and will face the upcoming battle without the disqualified center-back Malcom Cacutalua. However, two newcomers are ready for their debut - goalkeeper Emilis Timburas and defender Cheikhou Die. It is very likely that the Moldovan goalkeeper will start the match.

The Panevėžys team should have gained some positivity from the recent matches at home. On the other hand, "Dainava" had lost four consecutive matches away, but in a match against Gargždai "Banga," they revealed their full potential in counterattacks. The team coached by Sergiy Kuznetsov can again field Dmytro Mandrychenko, who plays in the attacking midfield and distributes balls successfully, while parting ways with forward Ignas Kružik, who had made one assist.

"Kauno Žalgiris" - Kaunas district "Hegelmann". June 23, 2 pm. Kaunas, Darius and Girėnas Stadium. Previous matches: 1:2, 1:0.

7 points separate the teams in the tournament table before this derby.

The Žalgiris team was particularly uninspired in Marijampolė this week, but added points to their tally. Coach Saulius Širmelis made just one change - Gratas Sirgėda came into the match in the second half. Sunday's situation will be slightly better, as after disqualification, they will have midfielder Jason Noslin back and the Lithuanian national team captain Fedor Chernykh, who was officially introduced on Friday. If circumstances favor them, the green and whites can rise to 3rd place and reduce the deficit from the Kaunas district club to 4 points. Oyinlola Kayode will miss the last match due to disqualification.

The Hegelmann team did not play in the middle of the week and will face the derby with four consecutive victories, 32 points, and 2nd place in the tournament table. Besides the Vilnius "Žalgiris," they are the only team this season to score more than 20 goals, however, the guests will be uninspired on Sunday. Due to disqualification, the team will be without central defender Steve Kingue, who scored a winning goal in the previous matches - unpredictable matches await in 2024.

FA "Šiauliai" - Gargždai "Banga". June 23, 4 pm. Šiauliai, Šiauliai Municipality Stadium. Previous matches: 0:0, 1:0.

The head coach of the Sun City team, Mindaugas Čepas, is still suspended for two matches.

FA "Šiauliai", which had a good defense, conceded as many as 9 goals in the last four matches and is the second worst defending team in the championship. The club received another blow as goalkeeper Lukas Paukštė, who has been a long-time lineup player, dropped out, and his place in the match in Alytus was taken by Gustas Baliutavičius. However, there are also positive aspects - Daniel Romanovskis, who returned after a six-month break, will be able to debut, and striker Eligijus Jankauskas scored his first goal.

Banga, like the Hegelmann players, took a breath in the middle of the week and will seek to do what has not happened in the Lithuanian championship - defeat FA "Šiauliai." David Afonso's team has not won against them in 10 consecutive matches since 2022. However, in away matches, the Gargždai team has played draw four times. Banga will be without disqualified players on Sunday, but due to collecting four yellow cards, Jevgenas Jefremovas will not be able to play in the opponent's ranks.

Vilnius "Žalgiris" - Marijampolė "Sūduva". June 23, 6 pm. Vilnius, LFF Stadium. Previous matches: 3:3, 1:1.

"Sūduva" is one of the two clubs that the leaders have not defeated this year.

The capital club is almost unbeatable. After displaying good defense on Wednesday, Džiugas was suppressed by four goals - the fifth consecutive victory was won, and with 43 points, they securely lead the tournament table. Moreover, the advantage after this round could be even greater, as the closest competitors will clash with "Kauno Žalgiris." It is undeniable that the Vilnius team will be highly motivated - "Sūduva" and "Hegelmann" remain the only clubs that have not been defeated.

Coach Dovydas Lastauskas has had mixed thoughts lately. The team almost did not concede in the first two rounds, except for the match against "Žalgiris," but in the last few matches, they conceded 5 goals. However, the "Sūduva" attack, which rarely stands out against strong opponents, was not up to par. The ranks of Marijampolė players are filling up more and more, however, the absence of Steve Lawson, who fell from the lineup, could become a significant issue in the center of the field.