Preview: FK Zalgiris vs. Slovan Bratislava - prediction, team news, lineups

Even though they are far away from each other in the table, both have the chance of qualifying for the next round, but it is impossible for each of them to do that.

Match preview

FK Zalgiris head into the final group match of the competition in fourth place, yet they do still have the opportunity to progress to the knockout stages.

However, the hosts must win on Thursday by at least two goals against Bratislava, while they would also require the other match in this group finishing as a draw.

Zalgiris have only won a single game in the Europa Conference League so far this season which came against Pyunik, but they did not lose in the reverse fixture against Bratislava.

The two teams who will meet in midweek battled out a goalless draw when they met on game week one in this competition, proving that the hosts can provide a stern test.

While they failed to find the back of the net in that fixture, Zalgiris won 6-0 at the weekend which should bring plenty of confidence to the attacking players in the squad.

The visitors only need a point from this game to guarantee their place in the next stage, but they will want to push for more than that if they want to finish as group winners.

Bratislava requires a victory in this match to ensure that they will go through in the top spot to avoid playing the teams coming from the Champions League immediately.

The visitors have only lost a single game so far, and they head into Thursday on the back of a 2-1 win against Pyunik in the competition last week.

Bratislava showcased their fighting spirit in that game by scoring two goals in as many minutes toward the end of the match.

Guram Kashia scored an equaliser in the 84th minute of that match, and immediately after it was Eric Ramirez who got the winner, putting them in the driving seat of the group for the final match.

FK Zalgiris Europa Conference League form:

D

L

L

W

D

FK Zalgiris form (all competitions):

D

D

L

L

W

D

Slovan Bratislava Europa Conference League form:

W

D

L

W

D

W

Team News

Mathias Oyewusi scored a brace against Basel in Zalgiris's most recent European encounter, and he should keep his place in the team after that.

The hosts switched to a 4-1-3-2 formation in that match, and after such an impressive performance an unchanged XI could be shown.

He may not have scored against Pyunik in their most recent European outing, but Aleksandar Cavric is likely to be the lead striker for the visitors once again this Thursday.

Ramirez will also be hoping to be more than a substitute this time around after his crucial goal in that recent 2-1 win.

FK Zalgiris possible starting lineup:

Gertmonas; Kashken, Pavelic, Kazukolovas, Bopesu; Buff, Gorobsov, Milickovic, Ourega; Oyewusi, Oliveira

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Chovan; Pauschek, Kashia, Abena, Lovat; Kankava, Kucka; Zmrhal, Chakvetadze, Weiss; Cavric

We say: FK Zalgiris 1-2 Slovan Bratislava

FK Zalgiris might be bottom of the group at the moment, but they have the advantage of being at home on Thursday, which could prove to be crucial.

The fact that the hosts still have the potential to progress to the knockout stages will help them, but ultimately the visitors should have enough strength to get the win.

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