On Saturday in Kaunas, two teams will meet who aspire for more, but so far, neither has quite managed to achieve it.
Despite suffering two defeats at the start of the Nations League in September, Lithuania no longer appear as helpless as they did a few cycles ago. During the Euro 2024 qualifiers, the Baltic nation finished ahead of Bulgaria, avoiding last place in their group.
Under the former distinguished Lithuanian player Edgaras Jankauskas, the team, playing at home, avoided defeats against Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Hungary, with all of these matches ending in high-scoring draws. They predictably lost to Serbia (1:3), who are future Euro participants. Losing to Cyprus at home in the first round of the Nations League seemed more like an oversight. The hosts took more shots (12-6) but struggled to hit the target (2-2). The defeat to Romania (1:3) was expected.
In contrast, Kosovo defeated Cyprus convincingly. They showcased how to effectively capitalise on chances: 13 shots, with seven on target, and four finding the net—a 30% conversion rate. However, they were outclassed by Romania (0:3). The Balkan side is certainly closer to the European mid-tier. They boast players from the Bundesliga and Serie A, with team captain Amir Rrahmani being a key central defender for Napoli.
What unites the teams is their recent low goal-scoring form. In six of Lithuania's last eight matches, one side failed to score, with the total under 2.5 occurring in seven of eight games. Kosovo have experienced a similar pattern. In seven of their last eight matches, only one side managed to score, with fewer than three goals in five of those encounters.
We’re opting for the bet where a team does not score, and it may not necessarily be Lithuania.
|
Edgaras Jankauskas
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Edvinas Gertmonas
|
gk. | 13 | -19 |
Deividas Mikelionis
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
Mantas Bertasius
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
Justas Lasickas
|
df. | 53 | 2 |
Edvinas Girdvainis
|
df. | 52 | 1 |
Pijus Sirvys
|
df. | 18 | 3 |
Rokas Lekiatas
|
df. | 12 | 0 |
Dominykas Barauskas
|
df. | 11 | 0 |
Kipras Kažukolovas
|
df. | 11 | 0 |
Klaudijus Upstas
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
Vykintas Slivka
|
mf. | 67 | 3 |
Modestas Vorobjovas
|
mf. | 36 | 1 |
Paulius Golubickas
|
mf. | 26 | 1 |
Gvidas Gineitis
|
mf. | 13 | 0 |
|
Artur Dolznikov
|
mf. | 12 | 1 |
Artemijus Tutyskinas
|
mf. | 10 | 0 |
|
Giedrius Matulevicius
|
mf. | 7 | 1 |
Titas Milašius
|
mf. | 5 | 0 |
|
Domantas Antanavicius
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
Tomas Kalinauskas
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
|
Fedor Chernykh
|
fw. | 93 | 15 |
Gytis Paulauskas
|
fw. | 16 | 2 |
Armandas Kucys
|
fw. | 11 | 3 |
|
Valdas Paulauskas
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Franco Foda
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Arijanet Muric
|
gk. | 39 | -54 |
Visar Bekaj
|
gk. | 8 | -11 |
Amir Saipi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
Amir Rrahmani
|
df. | 58 | 6 |
Fidan Aliti
|
df. | 57 | 1 |
|
Mërgim Vojvoda
|
df. | 52 | 2 |
|
Florent Hadergjonaj
|
df. | 34 | 1 |
Leart Paqarada
|
df. | 30 | 1 |
Andi Hoti
|
df. | 14 | 1 |
Lumbardh Dellova
|
df. | 10 | 1 |
Valon Berisha
|
mf. | 45 | 4 |
Florent Muslija
|
mf. | 26 | 1 |
Donat Rrudhani
|
mf. | 14 | 2 |
|
Ilir Krasniqi
|
mf. | 8 | 0 |
Emir Sahiti
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
Lindon Emerllahu
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
Elvis Rexhbeçaj
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
Milot Rashica
|
fw. | 57 | 12 |
Edon Zhegrova
|
fw. | 38 | 4 |
Albion Rrahmani
|
fw. | 7 | 1 |
|
Ermal Krasniqi
|
fw. | 6 | 0 |
Astrit Selmani
|
fw. | 5 | 1 |
Eliot Bujupi
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
Fisnik Asllani
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
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