Zalgiris – Haecken

The Swedish champion will be closer to victory in Vilnius

In the third qualifying round of the Europa League, twelve of the fourteen teams will be representatives of the Champions League who failed to qualify. Among these clubs are Zalgiris and Hecken, who will play their first match in Vilnius. The Lithuanian team started their European appearances this season with the first qualifying round of the elite European tournament. The meeting with Struga in Vilnius ended 0-0, while in Macedonia the clubs were waiting for a drama with a happy ending for the Lithuanians. Struga scored the first goal of the game in the 76th minute, but by the 87th minute Zalgiris had turned the tide and snatched the final victory. The Lithuanians were less fortunate in the next stage, but a 2-3 defeat to Galatasaray is a decent result for a club that has not been spoilt for success. Hecken became Swedish champions for the first time last season. The team's debut in the Champions League qualification was quite confident. "Wasps" defeated New Saints both in the first and second meetings with a difference of two goals and a total score of 5:1. The second round of qualification came out dramatic and miserable for the club from Gothenburg. The reason for this was Faroese Klaksvik, who "scalped" the glorious Ferencvaros a week before the start of the confrontation with the Swedes. In the Faroe Islands, the teams were 0-0 up, while in Gothenburg, Hecken twice took the lead, but allowed the sensational Faroese to come back from 3-3 down. The Wasps were defeated in a penalty shootout and went to the second most important tournament on the continent. The advantage of the Swedish champion before the meeting in Vilnius may be more accentuated preparation for the match. The club played their Allsvenskan Round 18 game back in May, so they were able to avoid playing on the national stage last weekend. Zalgiris had to play away against Siauliai and failed to beat them 0-0. Zalgiris' players will also be affected by the situation in the league, where they are likely to lose the title to Panevezys. Let's bet that the visitors will be closer to victory.