Zalgiris take on the visitors Ballkani in the second leg of round of 16 in UEFA Champions League qualification. First leg result: 1-1. The match will be played on Tuesday, July 12th at LFF stadionas (Vilnius).
Zalgiris have been a symbol of Lithuanian football since Soviet times. They played in the top division of the Union and repeatedly reached the semi-finals of the USSR Cup. True, having taken the championship several times during the years of independence, the capital club receded into secondary roles. And only once, in 1999, they took the "gold". And then they even flew out of the "elite" for a year! In the new century, there were several stretches of dominance of the "green-whites" at the national level. They became the best in a row from 2013 to 2016. And they returned to the top the year before last, after which they were able to maintain their No. 1 status. Now everything is going to the next trophy, it turns out quite confidently to lead in the A-League. There are no successes in European competitions, the only time the Balts reached the decisive round of the qualification of the Europa League, but they lost there too.
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Ballkani have reached a more or less worthy level only recently. In fact, the club was founded back in 1947, but during the Yugoslav times it played at a semi-amateur level. And until 2000, they played for a long time in unrecognized local tournaments. Since gaining the sovereignty of Kosovo, it has turned out to have a full-fledged practice. But still, the "Gabriels" were not particularly quoted as a serious force. And their victory in the last season of the local Superleague became a real sensation. Although it cannot be said that the 1st place was accidental or undeserved. The ambitious team won 23 out of 36 matches and collected 76 points. This is immediately 12 more than the usual favorite, Drita. So the Balkans got the opportunity not just to start in European competition, but immediately the Champions League. And they started in their own field! And even quickly opened the score, in the 15th minute. But quickly allowed the guests to equalize. In the end, it ended up being 1-1.
Last week's match was the first to have an official international status for Ballkani. Of course, they have not crossed paths with Zalgiris before. Bookmakers believe that Zalgiris will be able to achieve the desired result in order to advance further. They did not lose to Balkan on the road, and at home he should defeat the Kosovars.
Prediction for the match: Zalgiris to win.
