Match start – 8 PM.
| Vilius MALYŠKA, 15min journalist in Tbilisi |
Good evening or, as Georgians say, “sakosaghamo mshvidobisa”! In Tbilisi, the sun is slowly setting behind the horizon, and fans are gradually gathering at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium. However, with less than 40 minutes left until the match starts, there are far from many “Dinamo” fans. Did they confuse the stadium? Read more NATO intends to modernize its fuel supply network in Europe Tbilisi football club’s home matches usually take place at Boris Paichadze Stadium. It accommodates about 55 thousand spectators, but due to Kanye West’s concert at the end of June, the stadium’s infrastructure has not yet fully recovered. |
“Žalgiris” starting lineup: Vincentas Šarkauskas, Dominikas Franke, Petaras Bosančičius, Danny Lupano, Deividas Šešplaukis, Jurijus Kendyšas, Ivanas Lytvynenko, Bryanas Teixeira, Stanislavas Bilenkis, Paulius Golubickas, Nikola Petkovičius.
In the first qualifying round, the Vilnius team defeated “Petrovac” from Montenegro with an aggregate score of 5:2, but this time, a much more formidable beast stands in their way.
Older “Žalgiris” fans remember the clashes between the multiple champions of Lithuania and Georgia from the times of the Soviet Union championship, and it was then that “Dinamo” achieved its most significant club victory – in 1981, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup was won.
It is estimated that “Žalgiris” and “Dinamo” have met 18 times in history – Georgians won 10 times, and there were four draws and four victories for the Vilnius team.
In recent decades, “Dinamo” has entered European waters less frequently – the last time the Tbilisi team played in the group stage of a UEFA tournament was in the 2004-2005 season.
“Dinamo” footballers last became champions of their country in 2022, and this season they are in third place in the tournament.
“We analyzed their last two matches in the Conference League. From the past, I remember what kind of players are from Georgia. They are technical players. Of course, there are players from other countries in the team, but you can see how they play. They play very well when the ball is on the ground, playing through certain zones. They look for players in the middle of the field because they like to control the game. “Dinamo” is a strong team,” said “Žalgiris” strategist A.Skerla before the match in Tbilisi.
The winners of this pair will face the losing team from the Split “Hajduk” (Croatia) and “Pafos” (Cyprus) pair in the third qualifying round. To reach the main stage of the Conference League, teams need to overcome four qualifying rounds.
For the team that loses the “Žalgiris” and “Dinamo” clash, their European campaign will end this summer.
15min journalist Vilius Malyška is visiting Tbilisi and will provide hot comments from “Žalgiris” representatives after the match from Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the capital of Georgia, which accommodates more than 27 thousand spectators.
The return match will be played on July 30 at 8 PM in Vilnius, at “Žalgiris” home stadium.
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