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Lithuanian national team strategist Raimondas Žutautas confirmed that the injured defenders Marius Stankevičius, Ramūnas Radavičius, Deividas Šemberas, and forward Darvydas Šernas will most likely not play against Poland. "I cannot risk them, so I will save them for the match against Spain," explained R.Žutautas.
He stated that other players will be given the opportunity to show themselves. "I would like to see Marius Žaliūkas in the center-back duo with Andrius Skerla. Then it would be easier to decide who will play against Spain. Tadas Kijanskas has little playing practice at the club, so we need to find a replacement for him. Since R.Radavičius is injured, we will probably try Tadas in the left-back position," revealed the strategist.
According to R.Žutautas, the playing scheme of the Lithuanian national team will not change. "In the duel with the Polish national team, we will model the game for the match against Spain. We will play from counterattacks, try to adapt to the match against the Spaniards. Poland is a strong team, so we agreed to play with them. It will be a good repetition."
The Lithuanian national team coach and players analyzed the matches of the Polish national team against Norway and Ivory Coast before the match. "The match against Norway was of a poor level, but when playing against Ivory Coast, the Poles showed beautiful football and rightfully won with a score of 3:1," recalled R.Žutautas.
Information will be provided by the legionnaires from Poland.
The captain of the Lithuanian national team, Tomas Danilevičius, noted that the Polish national team is very strong, and their footballers play in good clubs.
"We will not have territorial advantages, so we will need to stick to tactical plans, defend, and attack quickly. In those friendly matches, their forward R. Lewandowski stood out, whose playing style is similar to Fernando Torres. The match against the Poles will be a good test before the match against Spain," said the "Livorno" club forward.
When asked if the seven Lithuanian national team members playing in Poland provided information about the opponents, T.Danilevičius replied: "Having our own 'spies' is a plus. These players know the Polish national team better, and it should be beneficial. However, analyzing in words is one thing, and playing is another. How much it will help – we will see."
The Lithuanian and Polish national teams will meet on Friday at the S.Dariaus and S.Girėno Sports Center stadium in Kaunas, with the match starting at 21:30. Tickets for the match are available at BILIETAI.LT, and entry with season tickets is free.
