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

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 July 2022, 08:48
After both edging through to the second qualifying round last week, Latvia's FK Zalgiris and Swedish counterparts Malmo meet in the first leg of their latest Champions League qualifying tie on Tuesday.

While the visitors came out on top in an enthralling tussle with Vikingur - winning 6-5 on aggregate - it took their hosts an intense period of extra time to see off Kosovan champions KF Ballkani.

Match preview

Having traded goals in the opening half-hour of their first leg, Zalgiris and Ballkani then went over two hours of football without either side finding a decisive goal in their first round tie.

Eventually, though, the A Lyga champions managed to steal a place in the next stage of Champions League qualifying, as Nigerian striker Mathias Oyewusi struck in the seventh minute of extra time at LFF Stadium.

Zalgiris are now targeting a first-ever group stage qualification, having won the Lithuanian league title for the ninth time last season, and hope to fare better than their attempt this time last year.

The Vilnius outfit were eliminated in the second qualifying round, before losing in the third round of the Europa League preliminaries and then to Bodo/Glimt in the playoffs for entry to the inaugural Europa Conference League.

Twelve months on, in defence of their domestic crown, Vladimir Cheburin's side have racked up 41 points from 18 league games to sit top of the table by two points, with two games in hand.

Their most recent fixtures have been postponed, to allow them to concentrate on European engagements, but Cheburin had steered his team to four straight A Lyga wins before the meeting with Ballkani. In the Champions League, however, Zalgiris are owners of a past record that includes 11 defeats and just six wins from 20 matches.

Malmo, meanwhile, reconvened with Vikingur for the away leg of their first round tie last Tuesday, following an explosive encounter back in Sweden.

The Allsvenskan champions led 3-2 from their first leg clash at Eleda Stadion, having struggled to see off 10-man opponents, and a similarly open contest was in store at Reykjavik's Vikingsvollur.

After opening up a three-goal advantage through first-half strikes from Veljko Birmancevic, Felix Beijmo and captain Anders Christiansen, Malmo allowed their hosts to sneak back into contention, before holding on for a 3-3 draw on the night.

Milos Milojevic's side then returned to playing catch-up in the defence of their domestic title, and they are within three points of the Allsvenskan summit following Saturday's 2-0 win at Norkopping.

It has not been plain sailing since Milojevic took the reins from former coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, who led the club to successive league titles and last year's Champions League group stage before departing for Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

Di Blae seem to be running into some hot goalscoring form, though, and having netted at least twice in six of their last seven competitive matches they will be confident of taking a lead back home on Tuesday.

FK Zalgiris Champions League form:

FK Zalgiris form (all competitions):

Malmo Champions League form:

Malmo form (all competitions):

Team News

Zalgiris are likely to replicate the 4-4-2 setup they deployed in the previous round, with Swiss midfielder Oliver Buff given license to link up with the hosts' front two.

There is strong competition for the strikers' spots in Vladimir Cheburin's first XI, and Renan Oliveira is set to continue alongside either Josip Tadic, Marko Milickovic or last week's hero Mathias Oyewusi.

The former has scored eight times in 13 appearances for the club since signing on loan from Ukraine's Kolos Kovalivka, having also spent time in Slovakia and Malta.

Meanwhile, Malmo's new acquisitions Moustafa Zeidan and Mahame Siby both made promising debuts on Saturday, forming a new three-man midfield alongside Peru's Sergio Pena against Norkopping.

Though captain Andreas Christiansen was rested at the weekend, the Denmark international is likely to be brought back in for Champions League duty, but speedy winger Joseph Ceesay - signed from Lechia Gdansk earlier this month - could retain his place.

Both mainstays of the visitors' recent successes, Anel Ahmedhodzic and Croatian striker Antonio Colak have moved to British clubs over the past few days, while Soren Rieks, Oscar Lewicki and Adi Nalic are all sidelined by injury.

In Colak's absence, Isaac Kiese Thelin and Veljko Birmancevic will carry the can up front - the latter has posted three goals and as many assists from 13 Allsvenskan appearances this season.

FK Zalgiris possible starting lineup:

Gertmonas; Mikoliunas, Pavelic, Ljubisavljevic, Mamic; Kyeremeh, Gorobsov, Buff, Ourega; Oliveira, Milickovic

Malmo possible starting lineup:

Dahlin; Beijmo, Hadzikadunic, Moisander, Olsson; Christiansen, Pena; Ceesay, Zeidan, Birmancevic; Thelin

We say: FK Zalgiris 1-2 Malmo

Despite losing Antonio Colak to Rangers, there is no doubt Malmo still pack a punch in the final third, and they are capable of scoring more than once in Vilnius.

Though in good form, Zalgiris may be found out at this stage of qualifying, with their latest visitors - group stage participants last term - representing a significant step up in class.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 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 West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 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.