Champions look to remain with perfect record in Matchday 4

The fourth round of Lithuania’s TopLyga begins today with two matches. Defending champions Kauno Žalgiris host Panevėžys, while later in the evening Vilnius Žalgiris face Sūduva at the Sportima Arena in Vilnius.

Kauno Žalgiris remain the only team in the league with a perfect record so far this season and currently sit three points clear at the top of the table. The squad situation has also improved ahead of the match, with Damjan Pavlović included in the squad again and Argentine midfielder Franco Baldassarra already making his debut in the previous round.

Earlier this year Kauno Žalgiris defeated Panevėžys in the Lithuanian Super Cup, showing a stronger performance than in their opening league matches. However, several players are still yet to make a bigger impact this season, including Amine Benchaib, who the club hopes will contribute more as the campaign progresses.

Panevėžys, meanwhile, were left frustrated in their last match after letting a victory slip away late and settling for a draw. The team from Aukštaitija could end up at the bottom of the table after Tuesday’s match, although the second half of the first round schedule is expected to be more favourable.

So far Panevėžys have struggled with finishing their chances in attack, while the central defensive pairing has changed almost every match. One positive development is the return of Ernestas Veliulis, one of the team’s key players, whose creativity and attacking output could be crucial.

Later in the evening, Vilnius Žalgiris host Sūduva in what promises to be the biggest defensive test of the season so far for the Marijampolė side.

Žalgiris come into the match after two consecutive victories, both achieved without conceding a goal. In the previous match, centre-back Grigore Turda was substituted at half-time after suffering an eye injury, though head coach Rolandas Džiaukštas later confirmed that the issue was not serious.

Vilnius Žalgiris have also enjoyed strong recent results against Sūduva at home, currently on a nine-match unbeaten run in Vilnius, with several of those wins coming by comfortable margins. The league’s most prolific attacking side will now face the best defensive record in the competition.

Sūduva’s defence has held firm so far this season, with goalkeeper Ignas Plūkas playing an important role in keeping the team’s clean-sheet record intact in all three matches to start the season.

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Džiugas Telšiai	16	9	3	4	25	16	9	30
2	Kauno Žalgiris	16	8	5	3	34	13	21	29
3	Transinvest	16	8	4	4	29	18	11	28
4	FK Sūduva	16	6	7	3	23	13	10	25
5	FK Banga	16	6	5	5	22	13	9	23
6	FK Žalgiris	16	6	4	6	21	18	3	22
7	FK Panevėžys	15	5	3	7	14	25	-11	18
8	FC Hegelmann	16	3	8	5	17	24	-7	17
9	FA Šiauliai	16	3	8	5	14	23	-9	17
10	FK Riteriai	15	0	3	12	3	39	-36	3