Zalgiris take on the visitors Dainava Alytus in the round 22 match of Lithuanian A Lyga. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 20th at LFF stadionas (Vilnius).
Zalgiris have clearly failed this season. Let’s not forget, this is the reigning champion of Lithuania, a club that even played in the Champions League earlier this year. But so far, their league results give little reason for optimism. At least in a matchup like this, the team remain the obvious favorite. Despite their struggles, Zalgiris still possess far more quality than most of their domestic rivals. Recent matches suggest that the team are slowly regaining stability after a turbulent summer. Once again, it is worth remembering that the capital club were the strongest in the league last season. But key players were sold, along with a series of injuries. Now they sit only in fifth place, and in the best-case scenario they can climb up to third this season. At home, though, Zalgiris are excellent: seven wins in fourteen matches, while conceding less than 0.8 goals per game in those fixtures. Yes, the last few games were very tough, but we finally saw the team’s fighting spirit emerge. Their home form remains one of the main reasons they are still in contention for a European spot. With the squad starting to look more balanced, Zalgiris could yet finish the season on a high.
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Dainava, on the other hand, will only be fighting to avoid direct relegation this season. The club are distinguished by having the weakest attack in the Lithuanian league. It is hard to find a frontline this ineffective anywhere else. Moreover, the team have won just three matches this entire season. Dainava have already lost sixteen matches this campaign — a dreadful result. Their away record is particularly poor, with eight defeats in twelve games. Recently, however, their negative run finally ended. They had suffered four consecutive losses before managing to draw with Sūduva, and in their most recent match they somehow grabbed a win against Hegelmann. That victory came despite registering three times fewer shots on target than their opponent. Their slight upturn in results may provide a morale boost, but their performances suggest the problems remain deep-rooted. Relying on luck is not a long-term survival plan.
It is clear that Zalgiris are far from their best this season. At the same time, luck has often deserted them. In the Champions League, they suffered a foolish elimination to Hamrun, even though they scored twice at home against the Maltese champions. At home against Linfield, too, they had excellent chances to progress. In Lithuania, the club have won seven home matches this season, which is a solid record. Petković and Bojančić will miss out for Cheburin’s team, but Antal is finally regaining form after a long absence. In fact, he managed to score in the last match. Dainava continue to be thoroughly unimpressive this season. A lifeless attack, dreadful away form, and little hope for progress. Their last two results should not mislead anyone, because they were completely outplayed in those matches and relied heavily on luck. Okoniewski finally scored in their last game, but the Polish striker has huge gaps between his goals, which speaks volumes about their problems up front. In head-to-head meetings, Zalgiris are miles ahead. They have won 9 of the last 10 encounters. The only exception came in the second round this season when they failed to beat Dainava. But in the first round, Vilnius handled their rival comfortably, and in the cup they simply destroyed them. Only Basila’s red card spoiled things in that second-round clash.
Prediction for the match: Zalgiris to score over 1.5 goals.
