Tour announcement: leaders will clash in Raudondvaris

2025-06-18 13:58 © fchegelmann.com

All the matches of the 16th round of the "TOPsport A League" will be played on Thursday.

Marijampolė's "Sūduva" – Vilnius "Žalgiris". On June 19, at 19:30. Marijampolė, Marijampolė Football Arena Stadium. Previous match: 0:3.

This year, the team from Marijampolė played their most unsuccessful match precisely against the champion.

"Sūduva" continues to remain unbeaten in front of their fans, having conceded just 2 goals in their last eight matches. However, the last time the Marijampolė team kept a "clean sheet" in their head-to-head encounters was back in April 2022 – "Žalgiris" scored at least once in 12 consecutive meetings. In addition to the injured Maksym Pyrohov, the Sūduva squad will also miss midfielder Amadou Sabo, who sustained an injury in the previous match and is suspended due to four yellow cards.

The gap in the tournament table between the two teams is now 11 points, with "Sūduva" sitting in third place and "Žalgiris" barely in eighth. The team coached by Vladimir Čeburinas has won just once away, managing to achieve this dramatically in Marijampolė against Alytus DFK "Dainava". Thursday's encounter will be the last one that central defender Thomas Basila will miss due to suspension. The figures reflect the champions' position quite well – they have scored just 2 goals in their last four winless matches.

"Panevėžys" – Alytus DFK "Dainava". On June 19, at 19:30. Panevėžys, "Aukštaitija" Stadium. Previous match: 3:1.

After a series of away matches, the team from Panevėžys will aim to return to winning ways at home.

Three consecutive away matches have been quite identically challenging for "Panevėžys". The team from the capital of Aukštaitija first scored goals but fell off in the second half, resulting in one loss and two draws. At home, Rolandas Vrabecas’s squad has secured two solid victories, and moreover, in the last 13 encounters in the Lithuanian championship, they have not been able to defeat Dainava. On Thursday, the team will be without suspended central defender Justinas Januševskis, who has already played in the "TOPsport First League" this week.

Despite "Dainava" still being winless, the changes in the head coach position are starting to show benefits. The Alytus club managed to draw with "Žalgiris" and Kauno rajono "Hegelmann" and will have a slightly more favorable schedule towards the end of the second round to catch up with Vilnius "Riteriai". The Dzūkija club will have to cope without their suspended midfielder Ivan Koščo; however, after three matches, striker Davoras Rakičius will return from suspension. The duo of this recent player and Krystianas Okoniewskis, who scored a double last weekend, poses a significant threat to "Panevėžys".

Vilnius "Riteriai" – FA "Šiauliai". On June 19, at 20:00. Vilnius, FK "Žalgiris" home stadium. Previous match: 2:2.

The representatives of the Sun City will travel to Vilnius for the second time in a row.

"Riteriai" have yet to score a single point in the second round after six matches. This unsuccessful stretch has distanced the capital club from almost all contenders, while "Dainava" lags behind by 6 points. Even outside the field, the situation has not changed either – significant-role foreign players have begun to leave the team. The match against Gargždų "Banga" was the last for captain Jakubas Wawščyk and Serbian player Lazaras Sajčičius, who scored 3 goals. Defender Milanas Rutkovskis will also miss the match due to suspension.

After the draw with the champion, FA "Šiauliai" holds 25 points in their bag and confidently stands in 4th place. In the remaining third of the second round, Dainius Kazakevičius's squad will play in front of their fans two more times and could climb to 3rd place. In the previous nine encounters, the Šiauliai team has suffered just one defeat, and this year, they eliminated these opponents from the "FPRO LFF Cup". FA "Šiauliai" is quite clearly the match favorite, so losing points would be a significant surprise.

Kauno rajono "Hegelmann" – "Kauno Žalgiris". On June 19, at 20:00. Raudondvaris, Raudondvario Stadium. Previous match: 1:3.

The match will be broadcast live on the LRT Plius channel, and during the break, the cup quarterfinal draw will take place.

The blue and whites boast a flawless home winning streak – having secured all seven victories. It was at Raudondvaris Stadium that "Hegelmann" rebounded after suffering defeats, of which they have experienced four. In recent years, mutual encounters have not been favorable for the team coached by Andrius Skerla – only two victories have been achieved since 2023. Both teams have 31 points in the tournament table, making a win essential for the Kauno rajono team to ascend to 1st place.

"Kauno Žalgiris" did not extend their winning streak in Marijampolė but has not conceded a goal in five consecutive matches. However, the reliable defensive quartet in Raudondvaris will look somewhat different, as right-back Haymennas Bah-Traore will not appear on the pitch due to suspension. The "Žalgiris" have yet to play in Raudondvaris for the derby, interestingly, the players coached by Eivinas Černiauskas are the only ones yet to lose away. Thus, one of the long-lasting streaks will certainly come to an end on Thursday.

Telšiai's "Džiugas" – Gargždų "Banga". On June 19, at 20:00. Telšiai, Telšiai City Central Stadium. Previous match: 1:0.

The Telšiai team will host "Banga", currently in 7th place, in front of their fans.

After nearly three years of struggles, "Banga" has started to reap victories and currently leads its opponent in the tournament table by 3 points. However, on Thursday, the Žemaitija team faces the match with a string of five consecutive winless matches, and the last three home matches ended in a 1:1 draw. "Džiugas" has only defeated "Dainava" at the Telšiai City Stadium but has often not been blessed with success. The Japanese Hirotaka Yamada will be ineligible to play due to a red card received in the last round.

Since May, "Banga" has not shone brightly and appeared rather unconvincing against "Riteriai", but the stellar performance by Ignas Venckus and a significant opponent's mistake led to triumph. A victory would be quite motivating – should they manage to secure it, the Gargždai team could climb to 5th place, given favorable outcomes. Aaron Olugbogi, who played a half in the capital, has returned to "Banga's" ranks, but without Natano Žebrausko, Nouri El Harmazi, and Roko Filipavičiaus, midfielder Dovydas Norvilas has yet to appear on the field.