Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Lithuaniavs.Romania

sportsmole.co.uk, 13 October 2024, 10:26
Having stormed clear at the top of League C Group 2, leaders Romania will visit last-placed Lithuania in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

The Tricolorii head to Kaunas fresh from a third straight win, while their rock-bottom hosts have yet to pick up a single point.

Match preview

After maintaining their perfect Group 2 record at the weekend, Romania sit top of the table with a tally of nine points so far, putting them firmly on course for promotion to Europe's second tier.

In September, not long after their Euro 2024 adventure had ended at the first knockout stage, the Tricolorii swept past Kosovo and Lithuania - scoring three goals on both occasions - and normal service resumed on Saturday evening.

Serie A stars Dennis Man and Razvan Marin put the visitors two up against Cyprus in Larnaca, before Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin sealed a 3-0 win before half time.

Since veteran coach Mircea Lucescu replaced Edward Iordanescu in the summer - sitting back into the national-team hotseat some 38 years after his first spell in charge - Romania have continued their recent progress.

Occupying 45th place in FIFA's latest world rankings, they have followed up a seven-match unbeaten streak in away qualifiers by winning twice on the road in this year's Nations League.

Now seeking another three-point haul on their travels, Romania will most definitely have history on their side: they have won all of their last six meetings with Lithuania, dating back to a World Cup qualifying clash in 2008.

Lithuania's most recent defeat in that sequence was last month's 3-1 loss in Bucharest, from which they could have picked up a point, only to be denied when their hosts struck twice in the closing stages.

After narrowly avoiding relegation from League C in the 2022-23 Nations League - via a playoff win over Gibraltar - the Trispalves are facing another battle to survive the drop this season, following losses in each of their first three fixtures.

Having sandwiched that reverse to Romania with an opening defeat against Cyprus and Saturday's 2-1 loss to Kosovo, a squad overseen by national team legend Edgaras Jankauskas are rock bottom of Group 2 at the halfway stage.

Like Lucescu, the former Porto striker is back for a second spell in charge of his country, but he has produced only four wins from 17 matches since being reappointed in January of last year.

Situated 94 places below their Romanian rivals in FIFA's global pecking order - making them the eighth-lowest ranked nation in Europe - Lithuania could therefore be bound for demotion to League D.

Lithuania Nations League form:

L

L

L

Lithuania form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

L

L

Romania Nations League form:

W

W

W

Romania form (all competitions):

L

D

L

W

W

W

Team News

Mircea Lucescu seems to have settled on his favoured formation and personnel, with Trabzonspor striker Denis Dragus spearheading a 4-3-3 setup, but he may be tempted to rotate Romania's squad against more modest opposition.

Otherwise, the visitors' midfield trio will again feature set-piece specialist Razvan Marin, who has now scored three penalties in as many Nations League matches, alongside Marius Marin and captain Nicolae Stanciu.

Veteran goalkeeper Florin Nita - a teammate of Stanciu's at Saudi Pro League club Damac - should keep his place between the posts, but Horatiu Moldovan and Stefan Tarnovanu have both been handed opportunities of late.

Meanwhile, Lithuania are expected to keep faith with Armandas Kucys in attack, even if his supporting cast slightly changes.

Paulius Golubickas scored as a substitute last time out, while 94-cap forward Fedor Cernych has netted more international goals (15) than anyone else in the hosts' squad, and both will be pushing for promotion from the bench.

Goalkeeper Edvinas Gertmonas is set to meet up with some familiar faces, as he represents Universitatea Cluj in Romania's SuperLiga.

Lithuania possible starting lineup:

Gertmonas; Sirvys, Kazukolovas, Girdvainis, Tutyskinas; Vorobjovas, Gineitis; Dolznikov, Slivka, Cernych; Kucys

Romania possible starting lineup:

Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; R. Marin, M. Marin, Stanciu; Man, Dragus, Mihaila

We say: Lithuania 0-2 Romania

A class above their opponents at League C level, an ascendant Romania side should prolong their 100% record at Lithuania's expense.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.