Lithuania head coach Edgaras Jankauskas believes his side is well prepared for Saturday’s Baltic Cup semi-final against Latvia despite being forced to cope with several injury absences. Lithuania will host their Baltic neighbours at Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, with a place in Tuesday’s final at stake.
Speaking ahead of the match in the press-conference, Jankauskas confirmed that defenders Artemijus Tutyškinas and Klaudijus Upstas will miss the game through injury, adding to a list of unavailable players. However, the coach remains confident in the squad at his disposal.
“We lost a couple of players, but overall the preparation week went smoothly,” Jankauskas said. “We have enough depth that we don’t need to focus on the absences. The players who are here are very well prepared. Over the last few days we have worked well tactically and managed the physical workload successfully.”
The Lithuania squad includes several players who have received their first national team call-up, and Jankauskas praised the way they have adapted to the environment. “All of the newcomers settled into the team very well and sang their introduction songs. In that regard this was probably our best training camp yet because the quality of the singing improves every year,” he joked.
The former UEFA Champions League winner hopes the match will demonstrate the depth available within the national team. “I would like this game to show the depth of our squad and prove that even after losing so many players we can maintain the same level. We will have some debutants, they are in very good form and we are approaching this semi-final very positively.”
Jankauskas expects Latvia to present a difficult challenge despite their own injury concerns and singled out one player in particular. “They are also missing three or four players, but Latvia will have newcomers who want to prove themselves. If we talk about individual players, probably the biggest name is Andrejs Cigaņiks. He is their most dangerous player and the one who can create the most problems. We will have a challenge dealing with him.”
One statistic that surprised the Lithuanian coach was the fact that Lithuania have not lost a home match against Latvia since regaining independence. “I didn’t know that statistic, so I might mention it to the players,” Jankauskas said. “It’s nice to hear and it can serve as another motivational factor. Every match against Latvia is important regardless of history. Games against our neighbours are special. These matches are more than just sport.”
If the match remains level after 90 minutes, the winner will be decided by a penalty shootout. Asked whether Lithuania had prepared for that possibility, Jankauskas smiled. “We’ve been practising penalties every day. And every day we’re getting better.”
Lithuania and Latvia meet on Saturday at 16:00 local time in Kaunas, with the winner advancing to the Baltic Cup final.
