Vilnius ‘Žalgiris’ quite confidently dealt with the ‘Petrovac’ club from Montenegro in the first qualifying round. Having won the first away match 3:1, the green-whites once again proved their superiority at home and triumphed 2:1.
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The Vilnius team is also demonstrating successful form in the Top League – on July 19th, they defeated Vilnius district’s ‘TransINVEST’ 3:1.
Now, a very serious challenge awaits ‘Žalgiris’ – Tbilisi ‘Dinamo’. It will start on July 23rd at 8 PM Lithuanian time.
The rivalry that began during the Soviet Union’s occupation recalls many memorable duels.
‘Dinamo’ itself is the most titled club in Georgia, having become the country’s champion 19 times. However, the last time this was achieved was in 2022.
Its most significant international achievement is the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup won in 1981.
On July 9th, ‘Dinamo’ also won away – defeating Luxembourg’s ‘Mondorf-les-Bains’ team 2:1. However, on July 16th in Tbilisi, the winner was not determined during regular time.
During extra time, another 11-meter penalty was awarded against ‘Mondorf-les-Bains’, which was successfully converted.
The return leg ended in a 1:1 draw, so ‘Dinamo’ won with an aggregate score of 3:2 and advanced to the second round, where they will meet ‘Žalgiris’.
“We analyzed their last two matches in the Conference League. From the past, I remember what kind of players come 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 Andrius Skerla before the match in Tbilisi.
The Vilnius team is currently facing a problem that the strategist also mentioned. In the last three matches, ‘Žalgiris’ conceded one goal each time, and it happened when the outcome of the match was already clear.
To explain this phenomenon, A. Skerla pointed to a certain aspect – lapses in concentration.
“If the score is 3:0 or 2:0, we would like the team to finish the match as it should – with concentration and desire. There are mistakes not only at the end of the game,” the coach pointed out at the press conference, not for the first time.
Now, it might be even harder for ‘Žalgiris’ to defend their goal. In the local championship, the Georgian club has won 8 victories in 18 rounds and is ranked 3rd. It is here that ‘Dinamo’ leads in goals scored – 31.
However, they conceded 21 goals, and this is the fifth-worst result in the Georgian league.
However, A. Skerla emphasized another concern for the team at the press conference – the short training and preparation time. With the start of European competitions, the Vilnius team plays twice a week.
“There is no preparation, because we play every three days, and this has been going on for some time. We just managed to play on Sunday, yesterday we had a training session during which we prepared for the match, and that’s it.
Video reviews and analyses are ongoing, coaches are working, analyzing opponents, and we are trying to convey this to the team. It’s good that we are winning at the moment and the players are recovering faster,” the coach saw the positive side.
Recently, we haven’t seen the injured Bryan Teixeira on the field, and Vincentas Šarkauskas and Deividas Šešplaukis had problems. Now, A. Skerla had positive news.
“I don’t want to jinx it, because as soon as I say something, something happens. Currently, I am satisfied, most of them have returned. All players will be needed because we are playing at a high tempo. All players are healthy,” A. Skerla smiled.
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The return leg will take place on July 30th in Vilnius.
