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The Lithuanian national football team will compete in the last EURO 2012 qualifying match without several elders, but they are not prepared to give up against the Czech team, who need points to fight for the second place in the group. "We have the opportunity to try out newcomers, but at the same time we want to finish the cycle with a victory," said coach Raimondas Žutautas.
Youth to replace the missing
The Lithuanian national team prepared for the match against the Czech Republic last week in Marijampolė, where they played a friendly match with the U-21 team, and over the weekend they moved to Kaunas. Defender Deividas Česnauskis, who no longer traveled with the team, was unable to recover from his illness. D.Česnauskis joined the list of absentees together with three elders - suspended Edgaras Česnauskis and Deividas Šemberas, as well as injured Tomas Danilevičius.
“Apart from these absences and minor injuries – Marius Stankevičius and Andrius Skerla missed one training session each – the preparation was very good. In the match with the youth team, we tried out new players, and I liked the first-time invitee, Gediminas Vičius," said national team coach Raimondas Žutautas.
According to him, there is nothing bad that cannot turn into good – injured experienced footballers will have the chance to be replaced by younger ones. "The time is approaching when we will have to replace the seniors, and now we have the opportunity to try out the new ones. Of course, it will be challenging, as the Czech Republic has a strong and experienced team. But I believe in my players and that we can achieve a positive result. The attitude is very good, the men want to finish the qualifying cycle triumphantly," said R. Žutautas.
Need to attack the opponents
In the first match between the two teams – and the first in the qualifying cycle – the Lithuanian national team won in Czech Republic with a score of 1:0. R. Žutautas assured that this does not promise an easier fight on Tuesday - especially since the Czechs need to win at least a point in Kaunas to overtake Scotland and secure the second place.
"Although we won in Czech Republic, the match was very difficult. We had opportunities and so did the opponents. They missed an 11-meter penalty saved by Žydrūnas Karčemarskas. Since then, the opponents have changed a bit, new players have appeared in the defense and midfield. We analyzed the video recordings of Czech Republic's matches. In the last match against Spain, the Czechs played poorly, but it can be said that the opponents did not allow them to play," evaluated the coach.
Asked whether the team's tactics would change due to the absences, R. Žutautas replied: "The game plan will not change fundamentally, but perhaps adjustments will need to be made considering that younger players sometimes lack coolness and experience. I think a lot will also depend on the opponents. Now Czech Republic needs to win, so they will need to attack a lot."
Wants to test strength against the best
The match against Czech Republic will be special for Lithuanian national team defender Marius Papšys, who plays in the country's league for the "Příbram" club. The 22-year-old footballer admitted that he cannot wait to appear on the field on Tuesday.
"Of course, I am looking forward to this match. I want to test my strength against the best Czech footballers and prove that I was not invited to the Příbram club for nothing. I understand that we can eliminate the Czechs in this match, but we are definitely not planning to give up. We want to show our fans that we can play and win," said M. Papšys.
According to him, there was no need to advise coach R. Žutautas about the Czech national team. "The coach is a professional and knows what to do. Moreover, everyone knows the capabilities of the Czech national team. I play in the league of this country and I can say that their level is high. Among the players invited to the national team, the players of the "Viktoria" club from Plzeň playing in the Champions League, especially midfielder Petras Jiráček, stand out,” assured M. Papšys.
In the duel with the Czechs, forward Robertas Poškus returns to the national team after the break. With Tom Danilevičius dropped from the squad, 32-year-old R. Poškus will be the most experienced player in the attacking line and is one of those who played against Olomouc last year.
"Although we won the first match, it was very difficult to play. The Czech team is very good, they have high-level players in all positions. In that match, Žydrūnas Karčemarskas helped us a lot, as did luck. But I hope we will finish the qualifying cycle as we started. There were unexpectedly unsuccessful results this year, so we would like to rehabilitate a bit in front of the audience and finish on a high note," said R. Poškus.
The national teams of Lithuania and the Czech Republic will meet on Tuesday, October 11, at the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Sports Center stadium in Kaunas. The match will start at 9:45 pm.
