By Titas Teiten
As the A Lyga season slowly nears its conclusion, attention now shifts away from domestic football and onto the national stage. Early September promises to be significant for Lithuania, as Edgaras Jankauskas’ men prepare for two important fixtures in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. These matches will not only test the team’s true capabilities but also provide a clearer picture of where Lithuania belongs in its group standings.
The wait is over: on August 28, Lithuania’s head coach Edgaras Jankauskas unveiled his squad for the upcoming fixtures. The initial list featured 22 players, as a last-minute setback struck when Kipras Kažukolovas suffered an injury just a day before the announcement. As a result, the roster was completed by the addition of a 23rd player, FK Sūduva Marijampolė defender Markas Beneta.
Lithuania will face Malta on September 4 before hosting the Netherlands at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium on September 7. The two opponents could hardly be more different: Malta sit 168th in the FIFA rankings, while the Dutch are currently ranked 7th in the world.
Asked about this contrast, Edgaras Jankauskas said: “We’ll see how things unfold, time will show the results. It’s certainly an exciting week for us, but also record-short: we gather on Monday and the first match is already on Thursday. There’s also great anticipation, with a team coming that Lithuanian fans haven’t yet had the chance to see live. Our aim is to prepare as best as possible in the shortest amount of time.”
For a variety of reasons, selecting the squad for this international window proved more difficult than expected.
“This time we faced more challenges than ever before, with many injuries, most of them in the final days before the call-up. Some players’ form is also a concern, as they’ve had little playing time with their clubs. Our forwards haven’t been particularly productive either, but we’ll be giving opportunities to new faces. As always, setbacks for some open the door for others to step up,” Jankauskas reflected.
The coach agreed to give more details on what has actually happened to the main national team players: “Manfredas Ruzgis broke his leg, Matas Vareika and Vykintas Slivka are sidelined with hamstring injuries, Širvys had appendicitis, and I recently got bad news about Kipras Kažukolovas with knee ligament issues. We had hoped to give Sigitas Olberkis a chance, as he’s been adapting well in the Albanian top flight, but he too picked up a knee injury at the end of his league opener. Deividas Šešplaukis is also out until November. Even the healthy players have had limited minutes, which makes the situation tough. Still, I prefer to look at the brighter side: these gaps create opportunities for young and new players to prove themselves.”
“When you lose four starters and two regular rotation players, it is a worry. But again, it’s also a chance to test the depth of our resources.” the Lithuanian football legend added.
Another notable absence from the squad is long-time national team player and former captain Fedor Černych. Head coach Edgaras Jankauskas explained the reasoning behind his omission, while also underlining the importance of Arvydas Novikovas over the past decade: “They won’t be with us this window. I had a very good conversation with Fedor, and I admire his professionalism and self-criticism. In his view, at this moment, there are players more deserving of a call-up. That was ultimately his decision. Both he and Arvydas have given more to Lithuanian football over the past decade than anyone else, and that deserves respect. Fedor felt that right now, he couldn’t contribute as much as he’d like, so he chose to step aside for the good of the team. I respect and value that choice. At this stage of his career, he knows his own capabilities best. As for the future, no doors are closed, everything depends on the players themselves.”
Finally, local media pointed out an observation that has become less surprising in recent months: not a single player from reigning champions Žalgiris Vilnius was called up. Realistically, the likeliest candidates would have been Ovidijus Verbickas and Giedrius Matulevičius.
Asked about this, Jankauskas pointed to the club’s ongoing struggles as the key reason:“We see what has happened with the Lithuanian champions: they’ve hit a slump, not only on the pitch but also off it, and these things eventually carry over into performances, in terms of form and injuries. Giedrius Matulevičius, for example, was injured, then returned, but it wasn’t an easy comeback. Right now, there are simply players better prepared than the current Žalgiris squad members.”
Regarding the players who made the squad, Jankauskas was asked about the goalkeeper situation, which has drawn some attention. The presumed first-choice keeper, Edvinas Gertmonas, has seen very little playing time with Cluj in Romania’s top tier, while Marius Adamonis is starting regularly with Sudtirol in Serie B, and Tomas Švedkauskas is a consistent presence with Žalgiris Kaunas.
The answer, however, remains undecided: “We’ll see. No final decision has been made yet. These things will be discussed and decided in due course.”
Journalists also highlighted the difficult spell of Paulius Golubickas. After an impressive 2024 season with Žalgiris Vilnius, the midfielder earned a move to Polish Ekstraklasa side Radomiak. However, he struggled to make an impact, which recently resulted in a loan move to Finland.
Commenting on his situation, Jankauskas said: “When you play abroad, you face competition everywhere: on the field, in the locker room, in daily life. Foreigners are not always welcomed, and to succeed you must be better and win those battles. This time Paulius simply didn’t have enough time to prove himself. I’m convinced he has the quality to play in Poland’s first division, as well as in Finland. His serious injury with the national team in Malta also affected him. It hasn’t been the easiest period for him, but knowing his professionalism, commitment, and dedication, I’m sure he will be valuable for us.”
On the pitch, Lithuania will be aiming to improve on their last international window, which saw a 0-0 draw against Malta in World Cup qualifying and a 0-5 defeat to Denmark in a friendly.
Reflecting on those matches, Jankauskas said: “Naturally, there were lessons learned. I wouldn’t want to demonize the result against Denmark, as the circumstances of that game were completely unfavorable. Even from that nightmare, there were positives to take, along with experiences that should make us reflect. We got some answers, and maybe even more questions. Now we need to think, evaluate, and decide what approach will be best going forward.”
Against Malta, the one and only objective will be three points. This would help them increase their total to 5 points and extend their lead from Malta.
When asked about the chances of securing 3 points in the upcoming fixture, Jankauskas was clear about the team’s ambitions: “The chances are certainly higher than in the following match (smiles). Of course, the objective is always the same, regardless of the opponent. We know Malta well – we faced them in our last official match – and we know what to expect. We believe we’re capable, and we’ll fight for three points, which remains our constant goal.”
As for the Netherlands, the challenge will be totally different. Not only are they among the world’s elite, but they also recently dismantled Malta 8-0, a result that leaves little room for optimism ahead of September 7.
Jankauskas admitted that Lithuania’s chances are slim but preferred to focus on the positives: “I don’t think we should over-idealize them. They’re a fantastic team, a top-tier national side, but I see it as a wonderful opportunity: to be in the spotlight, to compete, to win certain duels, and, why not, to aim for a positive result.”
