Haecken – Zalgiris

The Swedish champion will re-prove their advantage over the Lithuanian team

Hecken Sweden qualified for the Europa League from the Champions League qualification in the status of the champion of their country. Due to the fact that the most prestigious national title was given to the team for the first time, the Wasps made their debut in the qualifying stage of the most prestigious European tournament in July. They got off to a pretty solid start. Hecken defeated New Saints both in the first and second meetings with a total score of 5:1. The second round of qualification was rather sad for the club from Gothenburg. On their way stood Faroese Klaksvik, who will create a sensation in a duel with Ferencvaros a week before the start of the confrontation with the Wasps. In the Faroes the opponents played 0-0, while on Swedish soil Hecken twice took the lead, but allowed the modest opponents to come back and knock themselves out of Europa League qualification on penalties. Before the first meeting with the Lithuanian team, the Swedish champion had the opportunity to prepare for it in an accentuated manner. The club played their match of the 18th round of the Allsvenskan in spring, so they had a rest the weekend before last. After the win in Vilnius last Thursday, the Wasps kept the good mood alive with three points against Varberg. The bookmakers have the hosts as clear favourites to win in Gothenburg, offering odds of 1.45. The Lithuanian team from Vilnius has been a dominant force in the national league in recent years. Zalgiris started their European appearances this season in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. The meeting with Struga in Vilnius ended 0-0, and the clubs played out a dramatic ending in Macedonia. Struga scored the first goal of the game in the 76th minute, but by the 87th minute Zalgiris had taken the lead and pulled out the final victory. The Lithuanians fared less well in the next stage, but a 2-3 loss to Galatasaray was a worthy result for Vladimir Cheburin's men. The first leg against Hecken had all the potential for a rout, but Zalgiris scored one goal in the 85th minute at 0-3. On Sunday in the championship, the club from Vilnius beat Hegelmann at home, who were 15 points behind them in the standings. In Gothenburg, the visiting team will be setting up to win, but because of the lower class, in practice can only lose with a bang.