A look at the Kaunas team's opponent: Icelandic championship leader Reykjavik's 'Valur'

2025-07-22 12:06 © lff.lt

Having successfully overcome the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, the players of „Kauno Žalgiris“ will begin their battles in the second round this Thursday at Darius and Girėnas Stadium, where they will face Reykjavik's „Valur“. Tickets can be purchased at zalgiris.lt

While waiting for the confrontation with the leaders of the Icelandic championship, we invite you to review the most interesting features of the opposing team.

Scandinavian Composition

In the lineup of Thursday's opponents, there are only three legionnaires, and all of them are also from Scandinavian countries. The youngest of them is Albinas Skoglund, who plays as a forward. This is the player's first season playing outside his native Sweden, and it hasn't gone particularly smoothly, as the forward has scored two goals in nine matches played in the Icelandic championship.

Another legionnaire is Norwegian Markus Nakkim, who has a couple of years of playing experience in the USA. The central defender has only started one match from the bench in this season's Icelandic championship and recorded one assist.

Finally, one of the oldest players in the team is another forward, Patrick Pedersen. The Danish player, who has played in four different Scandinavian countries, is one of the team's leaders, causing headaches for opposing coaches.

It should be noted that there are also several players in the team who hold dual citizenship—both Icelandic and from another country.

Team Leaders

The aforementioned P.Pedersens is the absolute leader of Reykjavik's „Valur“. In the Icelandic league, he has scored an impressive 14 goals in 15 matches. Additionally, he has scored doubles in three matches. The Danish footballer has been representing „Valur“ since 2019 and during this time, his shots have hit the opponent's net 83 times. However, in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, he only played one match out of two and did not score.

The second-highest scoring player in the club is Tryggvi Haraldsson, who has scored 7 goals in 14 matches in the local league. Although he is not as productive as P.Pedersens, T.Haraldsson also made his mark in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, scoring the first goal in the return leg match in Tallinn.

So far in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, among the most prolific „Valur“ players are Jonatan Jonsson and Tomas Magnusson, who have each scored a couple of goals.

Experience in European Tournaments

Having fallen in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League in the 2008-2009 season, Reykjavik's „Valur“ began knocking on the door of European football again in the 2016-2017 season. Since then, the club from the Icelandic capital has participated in various tournament qualifiers. In that return season, the club played in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers but was heavily defeated (1:10) by a Danish team in the first round.

The following year, „Valur“ managed to reach the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, but they were left empty-handed there as well. The best achievement in the last decade for the leaders of the Icelandic championship has been recorded in the 2018-2019 season, when they reached the third qualifying round of the same league.

Last season, „Kauno Žalgiris“’ competitors also participated in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, where their performance ended in the second round. The first match against Scotland's „St Mirren“ ended in a draw (0:0), but in the return leg, „Valur“ acknowledged their opponent's superiority (1:4), thus the Reykjavik team has not yet crossed the second-round barrier in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

This season, the Icelanders faced Tallinn's „Flora“ in the first round, with whom they had little trouble. In the first match, „Valur“ scored 3 goals in the first half of the game, solidifying a huge advantage, winning the match 3:0 just like „Kauno Žalgiris“. In the return leg, „Valur“ surged ahead in the 29th minute, and although the opponents equalized later, ultimately the leaders of the Icelandic championship celebrated another victory (2:1).

Icelandic Championship

Despite being the local league leader this season, Reykjavik's „Valur“ last lifted the Icelandic championship trophy in 2020. However, this year the capital team has already managed to win one trophy – a victory in the league cup tournament.

Although „Valur“ currently occupies the first place in the Icelandic league, two other clubs in the country have the same number of points – 30. All three teams have achieved 9 victories, drawn 3 matches, and suffered 3 losses, so the situation at the top of the standings is quite tense.

On Sunday, „Valur“ played an important match against the second-placed team from Reykjavik, „Vikingur“, and achieved victory (2:1), scoring the second goal in the penultimate minute of regular time. The first matchup between the teams this season ended in a draw (1:1).

Thus, this is what „Kauno Žalgiris“’ opponents look like in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, with which the players will clash this Thursday. Tickets can be purchased at zalgiris.lt.