„Kauno Žalgiris“ – Vilnius district „TransINVEST“. August 16, 18:45. Kaunas, Darius and Girėnas Stadium. Previous matches: 1:2, 2:1.
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Another champions’ match will be broadcast on the BTV channel.
So far, the Kaunas team has successfully combined local play with international competitions – achieving three confident consecutive wins and returning to the top of the tournament table. „Kauno Žalgiris“ together with Telšiai „Džiugas“ lead the championship with 37 points each, but the Samogitians have played two more matches. Željko Sopić’s squad has significantly stabilized the defense – conceding the fewest goals again in the Toplyga. Luka Račičius did not finish the last match due to injury, but the team currently has the largest reserve of substitute players this season.
„TransINVEST“ footballers fluctuate quite noticeably: worsened defensive results have led to dropping to 6th place in terms of lost points. On the other hand, the Vilnius district team has no complex about playing at opponents’ stadiums – collecting 20 points away is the best result.
Moreover, „TransINVEST“ is the highest-scoring team in away matches, having once taken a victory from Darius and Girėnas Stadium. A win for the guests would allow them to surpass „Kauno Žalgiris“ by one point in the tournament table.
Vilnius „Žalgiris“ – Gargždai „Banga“. August 16, 19:30. Vilnius, FK „Žalgiris“ home stadium. Previous matches: 1:1, 0:3.
Vilnius team will join the Toplyga battles after three weeks.
Like the champions, last season’s bronze medalists have managed to productively combine play on two fronts. „Žalgiris“ has won three consecutive matches and ranks fifth with 34 points – a win could allow them to return to the top three.
Žalgiris’ opponents have recently struggled to cope with Nikola Petković, who extended his streak of scoring matches to 3 and will become one of the top scorers in the Conference League qualifying matches. The hosts will be without Deividas Šešplaukis, who has accumulated four yellow cards.
„Banga“ played the most unsuccessful match of the season in terms of result last week and remains in 6th place. However, a win would bring the Gargždai team closer to the top three again.
Previously in Toplyga, for more than two decades, the barrier of Žalgiris was always too high for „Banga“, but now for the second year in a row David Afonso’s squad has defeated the most titled club in the country. On the other hand, „Banga“ has never beaten the Vilnius team at their stadium in the Lithuanian championship. Valdas Antužis will miss Sunday’s match due to suspension.
„Šiauliai“ – „Panevėžys“. August 17, 18:00. Šiauliai, Šiauliai Municipality Stadium. Previous matches: 3:1, 2:3.
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Šiauliai have another chance to end a long losing streak.
Nine consecutive losses and a stretch of thirteen unbeaten matches have been tormenting „Šiauliai“ since early May. Although Dovydas Lastauskas took over the team, in the match against Telšiai „Džiugas“, which has not been shining in attack for some time, they conceded four goals. On the other hand, the representatives of the City of the Sun will face the opponent with the worst attack in Toplyga, who has conceded 26 goals away. Šiauliai lag behind their closest rival by 9 points.
„Panevėžys“ ended a very unsuccessful series of crushing away losses and last week kept a clean sheet at the opponent’s stadium for only the second time.
Matches at Šiauliai Municipality Stadium have gone poorly for Panevėžys – no wins since 2022. Although Isaacas Asante and Seydina Keita joined the players recovering from injuries in the last match, Ernestas Burdzilauskas and Marko Bačanin made their mark. Milan Danilo van den Bos will miss the match due to suspension, so we might see Laurita Krasniqi on the field, who was registered for the first time this year in the Lithuanian championship at Galinė.
Telšiai „Džiugas“ – Marijampolė „Sūduva“. August 17, 18:45. Telšiai, Telšiai city central stadium. Previous matches: 2:3, 1:2.
A clash of neighbors in the tournament table – on BTV channel.
„Džiugas“ stabilized the situation after a long stretch of losses and lost only to Vilnius district „TransINVEST“. Džiugas is second in the tournament table with 37 points, one point ahead of Marijampolė. However, Telšiai have played two more matches.
„Sūduva“ is the only opponent this season from whom points have not yet been taken. The Samogitian team has been playing unproductively in front of their fans for some time, and under Donatas Vencevičius at the helm of the Marijampolė club, they have managed to beat this opponent only once.
„Sūduva“ has seriously gained momentum and is positioned right next to the leader. At home, Marijampolė collects points thanks to excellent defense. Away, they rarely keep clean sheets, but the difference is made by their explosive attacking players. Three consecutive away wins is an achievement few could boast of this season.
With Sidy Sanokho returning to the lineup, „Sūduva“’s scoring indicators have improved. The Marijampolė club has entered the top five highest-scoring teams, and S. Sanokho is one of the most effective players in recent weeks.
